The Strokes

The Strokes

First Impressions of Earth

(RCA)

In interviews, the Strokes made much of the pressure they were under to come up with something that would buzz the world as much as their debut, Is This It, did in 2001.

They blamed such scrutiny for the fact that their follow-up effort, Room on Fire, turned out to be a patchy

re-tread that resulted in lower expectations all round. Above all, it was becoming apparent that what was previously interpreted as snotty nonchalance, was in fact becoming genuine boredom. The Strokes were sounding as if they needed a holiday.