Is This It

Room on Fire is definitely a better album than this one, but this one is still pretty solid!

These guys have some great songs - this album is full of them. They have this unique sort of indie like who gives a shit rock sound that's pretty fun.

Pretty much the definition of a 4/5. Does it do anything special? No, but it's good rock, so I can't complain.

very fitting of the time. I like some of their other albums more though

già fatto minchia

Sounds good to my ears 👍. The strokes are probably one of the last good rock and roll band. (Or not idk much bands from the 10's) I dont think its a masterpiece like the press at the time. its a tinny overrated but idc. Great cover tho/5

I love this album - it is so damn catchy, timeless and also nostalgic.

That microphone fuzz should be another member of the band.

Comme d’habitude, album des strokes hyper frais, vraie signature vocale/ musicale, rock et tres pop a la fois. Super album, j’ai adoré. Premier album studio du groupe considere comme une œuvre majeure du rock.

Lleno de clásicos, un par de canciones que son meh, y escucharlo en orden me ha parecido raro.

Some absolute classics on this album. I hadn’t listened to the whole thing before, and I found I really liked it, not just the songs I already knew. There’s not a whole lot of variation across the album, but it was still great to listen to. Fav song: Last Nite Least fav: Is This It

Pretty good album with some British bangers in there. A lot of similarity between songs but because it’s short and sweet that didn’t grate on me. Specific rating - 4.1 Fav song - someday Least fav- New York City cops

Literally the worst time in history to have a song about how dumb New York cops are. Favourite song: Last Nite Least: Take It Or Leave It

10/10

Great Songs: Soma, Someday, Last Nite Good Songs: Is This It, The Modern Age, Barely Legal, Alone Together, Hard To Explain, New York City Cops, Trying Your Luck, Take It Or Leave It Mid Songs: Bad Songs:

ok so there are a lot of amazing songs on here and it was a lot of fun to listen to, but I was hoping for maybe a little bit more for such a generation and genre defining album. Also my fave songs are from their much maligned third album which might have more to do with actually experiencing that one in real time, but also You Only Live Once and Heart In A Cage are just that good. Still, Hard To Explain, Someday, New York City Cops all insane and this is a great listen. Also kinda insane I think some random songs from their most recent album are their most streamed songs?

This one is way better than I remember it being, mostly killer material with minimal filler. Really catchy too. NYCP not being on the main version is a travesty tho. Highlights-Is This It, The Modern Age, Barely Legal, Someday, Last Nite, Hard To Explain, New York City Cops, Take It or Leave It

Generational staple. Pivotal moment in Rock history.

Extremely breezy album. So tight and catchy. It's a definer of the indie rock scene at the time, and its influence holds today. This album convinced me to listen to the rest of The Strokes' discography, and there's a ton of great stuff there. This album's a near 5 for me, though I know it's already a classic.

Awesome album, I really like it as its kinda more leaning to my type of genre.

Solid all the way through. Good vibes and a few excellent songs.

Matt: background music. Rose: some good songs, cohesive album but not everything is a banger.

Not a perfect album, but still pretty great. Favorite songs: someday, last nite, take it or leave it

A couple awesome songs, and the rest are good be not great. Solid 4.

Groovy, parecem que eles criaram um som muito próprio deles, mais aberto, deixam muito espaço. Me surpreendi como os instrumentos tem um papel importante aqui, interagindo com os vocais.

made me joyful

Really enjoyed this! Never really listened to the strokes, but it was a so nice to listen to Julian sing. His voice is so great and can rough it up perfectly when needed. Love how it gets more and more sex pistols throughout. Very obvious inspiration from Iggy Pop which is heavily appreciated and they still make their own which is hard to do when they have so many similarities. Music is very different for everybody, but I think this is an album everyone can like. Recommend Late night, some day, the modern age, New York City cops and soma Would listen again!

hate how much I unironically love this album

Rock for jenter som skulle ønske de likte rock. Var aldri fan back in the days, men det et jo et hyggelig album og pluss for at det er kort og godt.

Enjoyed the album, some very heartful moments and some absolute bangers.

goooood

Is This It - The Strokes, Indie Rock, 2001 - USA, 29.5.26 The Strokes' debut album is a energetic blend of old meets new - the grittiness and more DIY feel of an album you feel like you'd hear back in the booming days of 70s rock with the likes of The Doors, with a sprinkle of punk elements. Yet, lyrically in particular, the sound is modern, opening the doors to a new era of rock and indie in the 2000s, to the likes of The Libertines and Arctic Monkeys. I suppose, in essence, that's a definition of timeless. The overall sound is simple, but in a way that makes you want to listen closer. Lyrically, Casablancas talks of the lives, relationships and struggles of urban youth, namely in New York, but it's accessible enough that it immediately gave me flashbacks to the gritty adolescent shows of Channel 4 in its hayday - Skins, Misfits, Inbetweeners. Overall, this album just takes the awards for ~cool~.

It has a feeling that I like - and I am not speaking (only) about the cover now.

Solid Rock & Roll, defined.

Great, influential album. Hadn't realized they were entitled posh kids. Little disappointing to discover that, as it takes away some of the gritty street sound, but still produced a great rock album that defined the 00s.

One of the staples of indie rock 👏👏

I knew so many songs that i didnt realise were from this album. Someday has got to be my favorite, but I honestly vibed with all the songs. Insanely good, arguably the best album from The Strokes, followed closely by The New Abnormal, although they are very different from each other. Also listened to their new single, Falling out of Love, but I didnt enjoy it as much. The vocal effects on this one are just not my taste, maybe Im rather traditional in that i prefer the band to stick to their original sound. Same thing happened to me with the Artic Monkeys, I love the rock/punk sound they started out with (Whatever People Say I Am is my favourite album of theirs), but I found them less interesting as the band evolved into a more pop rock genre. Anyhow, Im excited for The Strokes next album, hoping to get some more of the vibe that Is This It has.

Fairly undeniable, but I honestly do think like half the songs are way better than the other half!!!

Giving this an extra star because this album (and a few others) were pretty much the end of the road for me with alternative rock. Never realized how much of a Television tribute band they were at the time, though.

Great album

Fun. A good listen, good bop.

idk why but i thought this band was from like the 80s. fire album cover. i actually really enjoyed how the main singer sounds like he is singing far away. solid guitar and drum additions

Very fun album and represents the indie scene of the 2000s well. Julian Casablancas has an iconic voice and the rest of the band compliments it well. Great time.

The Strokesin debyytti onkin hyvä rokkilevy, vaikka joskus asiaa epäilinkin. Suttuinen äänimaailma ja simppelit biisit tukevat kokonaisuutta hyvin.

Is it?

Buzzy rock, recognized Someday

Très bon album de rock alternatif, les schémas de rythmes détonnent de ce qui se fait ailleurs ce qui donne envie de jouer de la batterie ! Malgré le fait que je connaissais en partie l'album il ne m'a pas transcendé mais j'ai passé un bon moment cependant !

This album is not as good as I remembered it but I discovered it as I was starting guitar so it gets a pass.

Is This It / Someday / Last Nite / Hard to Explain Pretty cool. The band seems promising. Cohesive album, there wasn't a single track that pulled the album down for me.

Good album, relaxed and scatty

Tiene el sonido de un álbum debut, quiero decir, que me imagino a estos tipos ensayando día y noche para mantener un sonido fresco y renovado. Leí una vez que el álbum debut de The Strokes fue el resurgimiento del rock y creo que estoy muy de acuerdo. Todas las canciones tienen una base rítmica bastante similar, pero creo que es el álbum que define el sonido de esta banda a lo largo de los años, aún así, sigue sonando a un disco nuevo y transgresor.

앨범 커버때문에 하나 깎음

9/10

Decent rock album

Reminds me of Jukebox the Ghost, MGMT. I liked Is This It and Barely Legal. “Tables, they turn sometimes.”

its dope. very garage 90’s type beat. good for longs car rides or just chillin by urself. not a sad album. perfect for sunny days

I am starting my 1001 Albums with "Is this it " by the strokes. I went into this album with absolutely no expectations. I just wanted to let myself be surprised. It definitely succeeded in doing that. And I have to say, I really liked the album. It’s very dynamic, and I just love that Indie aesthetic. Personally, I heard a bit of the band early Arctic Monkey and Franz Ferdinand in it—I’m a huge fan of theirs. I spent most of the listening session with my eyes closed, nodding my head. Particularly striking are the very playful bass lines over the—to put it mildly—simpler guitar and drum parts. But I liked that, too. The simplicity of the song structure and, of course, the vocals are just great. So I have to say that the album is really great.Definitely worth a listen.

Du bon rock comme on l'aime !

En même temps je kiffe les Strokes donc ça me ferait trop mal de pas mettre un 5, la voix de Casablancas est super et le son est vraiment nouveau. Mais là jsp je suis pas dans le mood et je trouve ça se répète même si c'est très sympa

Muy sólido álbum debut. Se nota influencias de bandas anteriores pero logran construir su propio sonido y lo hacen de manera notable.

i like very much

I mean yeah, there are great hits on here. High quality stuff. I think it goes in and out of being consistently great but the bar is high and they reach it. 4.1/5

classic. ny 2000's. iconic. where did gtrs go wrong ?

gut. gefällt mir nachm zweiten mal hören tatsächlich sehr gut.

Better than I remember

classsiiiquueee

Heard of band never listened to album. Tool 100 on Apple so really high hopes. first song is pretty cool. I like the guitar a lot. Lyrics kinda bullshit. Good bass line too. Better vocals on the modern age but I don’t like the autotune. Overall this is a pretty good pop rock song. Good guitar solo. Similar feeling about soma. Guitar is the best part of this band. Good songwriting on barely legal. Great guitar again. Another good not great song. Someday is a banger. Don’t think I’ve ever heard it but you can tell it’s a banger from the first few seconds. Really fun song. Another awesome guitar solo on alone together. Rest of it is pretty generic. Followed by another banger in last nite which I definitely have heard. Good vocals/lyrics on this one. Cool production on hard to explain. Rest of it is eh. I like it more when it pics up the pace in the middle. Love the guitar riff on when it started. This is another really fun song. Trying your luck is more of the same. Pretty good pop rock song with a. Great guitar. Take it or leave it is pretty good too. Better lyrics and catchier chorus on This one. Overall it was a good album. I don’t. Think there were any truly bad songs. A couple bangers and. Bunch of pretty good songs. One more banger and it’s in 4+ range. However that’s not the case. 3.8/5 stars.

I bet a lot of people want to be over this, or roll their eyes at it. I can't. This was a titanic album at the time (I was a sophomore in college) and spawned a lot of imitators, most of which weren't nearly as good. "Hard to Explain" is one of the great rock songs of the century. It's not perfect, and it gets a little same-y, but its legacy is deserved. We were really lucky for the garage-rock/indie boomlet of the early aughts, especially on the heels of the torrent of nu metal and derivative pop in the late 90s.

Essential rock album with personal favorites, I'm looking at you "Someday"

While their radio hits are catchy, they never drew me in to really dive into their catalogue. Really solid album though.

Soma, Someday, Alone Together, Last night, Hard to Explain,

This was a surprising hit for me, it has a very nostalgic sound with some (obvious) stand out tracks

Me sorprendió! Nunca había escuchado la banda! Muy bueno!

Classic from start to finish. Note that the Walkmen who preceded them had all the same ingredients.

After probably a 20 year gap, it was something approaching thrilling hearing this again. I wanted to hate The Strokes when they appeared but did a 180 on hearing Hard to Explain in a record shop. “Who’s this?” - “The Strokes.” “Aw shit…” It’s over in a flash but so many memorable songs - even the production doesn’t get too tiresome. Great to revisit this, enjoyed it a great deal. Best: Hard to Explain, New York City Cops, Barely Legal Worst: Last Nite

Is this called punk? I feel this bringing some young energy and also the charm of 00s. I would not add it to my playlist, but I want to put 4

Purchased on the recommendation of a dude we called Swab from the Truro mall. It’s been a while, but I’m appreciating a bit more now - maybe b/c I have more knowledge of the punk/rock cannon… I have always felt like there is just something missing with this record…like a good baguette but it could really use some butter or jam. A 3.5…

Inspirational debut that set the tone for rock bands to come.

I remember traveling to New York City in 2003 to see Widespread Panic at Madison Square Garden on Halloween, and the marque at the venue advertising an upcoming Strokes show, and thinking, "man, fuck those guys! When did they graduate kindergarten? Yesterday?!? Panic have been road warriors for decades. They've worked for this! They've earned this! But then I can be a bit of an asshole sometimes. I have never listened to The Strokes, other than hearing Last Night on the radio maybe a couple of times. Maybe I've heard another hit they've had, but I can't remember. Anyway, this was really good. Reminded me of The Libertines (who I like better and think are a better band) but I can't quite go five on it. 4.9

wild. i just listened to this on the drive home from Green Bay yesterday. no notes album. Cant believe Julian's voice is muffled for 98% of the album. Nick Valensi & Albert Hammond Jr's guitar work feels like it redefined everything for the next 20 years.

I like it

8/10

Peak Indie Sleaze.

Still an epic debut album. Not every song is great but it’s a banger.

wait because holy peak idk whats happend but something has changed since the last time i listened to this 9.0/10

I mean it's just the strokes isn't it. very good listen, enjoyable as hell - probs not their best album icl best song - hard to explain

Cool album, I can see why people go nuts for it and why every indie album after it sounds the way it does

No cabe duda que marcaron una generación, en específico ese rock de los 2000. Y curiosamente de los pocos grupos de esos años que sigue vigente, coincidentemente apenas los vi el fin de semana pasado en Coachella (al que probablemente no regresen nunca después de sus videos de la última canción).

Would be a 5 with better mixing on the vocals. Favorite track(s) Is This It The Modern Age Someday Hard To Explain

Pretty good. I think I've heard a song by them before. No particular favorites from this album, though.

É engraçado pois da carreira do julian casablancas eu amava the voidz sem nunca ter escutado nada do Strokes. Dito isso o álbum é legal e agora compreendo quando falam que o Will Toledo soa como o julian

Good stuff. Enjoyed this one back when it came out back in the 2000s. Nice to revisit.

a good rock album, very consistent. the distorted vocals are really unique and interesting, but kind of gets boring after a while.

Pretty fucking perfect rock music if you ask me

I love indie rock

Not my favorite from them, but really good nonetheless.

Oh man! Haven't listen to this in an age. It slaps!

It's really good, and has some tracks that are essential to indie rock. My only issue is that a lot of songs sounds the same. Good, but not that diverse in sound.

Wow... this actually surprised me. I've seen this album around A LOT, even the alternate cover, and I almost thought this was gonna be slop just because it was rock and it was popular (ignorant, i know... :c) but now that i listened to it, i actually absolutely loved it, it's like the distilled, pure good essence of garage rock band music, I've never thought i'd like something like this but man do I NOT care. This is actually the type of thing i'd see myself listening to if i was born in the 80's or so lmao definitely gonna listen to it a lot, and maybe even sing it in the shower

its good but not the best for my personal taste

A perfect time capsule of rock music of the early 2000s, but also just the best version of that

8/10

Is this it - 4/5 Modern age - 3/5 Soma - 4/5 Barely legal - 3/5 Someday - 2/5 Alone together - 4/5 Last nite - 4/5 Hard to explain - 4/5 New york city cops - 3/5 Trying your luck - 4/5 Take it or leave it - 3/5

That album cover right there would have satisfied me many nights if I was a teenager. It didn’t take much. There was a time when this music got me moving. It still does in a sense but it’s not the same feel that I once had. I guess you could say I grew tired of the simplicity? But based on what it was at the time. It was good. It’s still good but it used to be too. Get it? Choice cut: Last Night

Ha sido el que más me ha gustado hasta el momento, no conocía el artista, pero me gusta su tipo de música, agregué 8 canciones de ellos a mi playlist. Fue un buen descubrimiento.

Julius labai gražus balsas, ypač kai paslėptas už kokios skardos. Geros gitaros.

'Can't you see I'm trying.' The first words you hear on The Strokes' 2001 classic, they should tell you all you need to know about this awesome little record. Casablancas & co. try but they're not try-hards. Going for 'simple' or 'basic' is not a simple or basic matter, & can easily devolve into the kind of pretentious that worshippers of the rudiment are wonted to carry w/ 'em. But these NYC-private-school-fuckers aren't posers, not b/c they're real or pure, but b/c there've decided that there's nothing to pose for. '& now my fears they come to me in threes.' Each less-than-four-min-song has got a great deal of soul: they're flashes in the pan that yet linger long after you hear 'em. That's what punk ought to be. The Strokes are great punk band.

last nite buen temaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

I liked the style and overall vibe of this album

nice

Cool sound!

All timer

No le pude prestar toda mi atención. Sentí que fue de menos a más. Algunos sonidos interesantes al principio y por momentos un poco plano. Contagia buena onda.

Front to back, pretty much a flawless template for modern indie rock.

Buena música!

Beautiful nostalgic listen. This album for me heralded the new millennium in über cool fashion.

Can see the fuss about the Strikes from this album, great, punch tracks, slightly scummy sounding recording, felt very new york punk

know and love it well!!

never listened to The Strokes that much back then. just the few known songs but the album is pretty nice. would listen to it again

Nice :D

It was fun and had a fresh sound, I liked it.

okay

good listen

couple of great songs, other songs sound mostly the same though

Good, dirty Rock

pretty nice and solid music

Two bangers and a lot of filler for me. Maybe it is just nostalgia bias and I only knew the two hits before, but overall a mid album for me. If it wasn't for those two songs...

Tried my best to listen to this unbiasedly given I am very familiar with this album. I think the biggest issue for me is that growing up, I heard these singles, and even tried to learn to play them. Downside? It was only ever those singles and they can't carry the album. 4 at best.

I don't know what it is about the production on this album, but it sounds uniquely balanced, treble-y, restrained. Whatever the case, while I don't care for every track, it's overall a really nice indie garage rock record. The title track especially is an absolute banger. Faves: Is This It, Someday, Last Nite

An album of my youth. It's an interesting exercise to listen as part of this project, and tying to figure out musically what clicked. Its upbeat musically, but Julian is kinda dour. And desperate. The guitars are jangly and fill space with lovely runs (Someday). The drums are upbeat. Decidedly happy. Its dynamic music, fast and slow, loud and soft. One of the best albums of MY all time.

Really liked this. Recognised more songs than I thought. Love a bit of a jazz influence. Favourite song is Head over heels/Broken though was a tough call

love spme

2000s called ...

Excellent guitar work.

The return of guitar music to the mainstream and the birth of modern Indie

I really loved this album when it was released, it’s still great but 25 years on it’s does feel a tiny bit one note and the vocal production choice to have some sort of fuzz effect on every track grates a little. 3.8

Still sounds great. Immediate. 4.5/5.

9 / 10

Butte

I feel like these guys have had the one of the biggest impacts of anyone on rock music, relistening to this makes me realise how modern they sound even to this day, so many bands now are taking heavy influence from how this album in particular sounds. I really like how the guitars and stuff don't need to be caked with distortion to make it feel heavy, it’s maybe to do with the distortion on his vocals. The chords they play are just great played in a really unique way. It’s taking garage and punk tropes from the 60s and 70s and making them feel modern. Always thought that someday sounds a lot like the first song on Lust for life by Iggy Pop, and I feel like The Stooges and Velvet Underground are quite obvious influences, especially as they are from New York. Favourite songs: all but barely legal and alone together, but just realised how much I love the modern age. Overall around 8/10 (feels close to 9)

This was one of my first exposures to indie/garage rock and have a soft spot for it. The Strokes are just really good at building up to a great hook. Amazing debut album.

muy bueno, probablemente no lo vuelva a escuchar

Canciones muy típicas y esperables de encontrar en un FIFA. Buenos ritmos, algunos muy lentos y depresivos, otros más rápidos con un toque de Punk que todavía había en esa época. Gran albúm debut de una gran banda.

Very, very good but unfortunately just shy of a 5

An enjoyable album from my college days.

I know this one (of course?). I admire the quirky vocals and the propulsive force of the music. Good!

not bad, but you do need to be in the mood for it in order to not be annoyed by it

Casablancas muffled vocals over zippy instrumentals. Sounds bad on paper, sounds good in reality

Instant classic

Vraiment trop bien! C’est vraiment ce style de rock que je peux écouter

Great album!

-listened -I liked it

This gave me a lot of nostalgia for listening to the breakfast show on Virgin/Absolute Radio while going to school in the mornings in the early 2000s.

Full of bangers. Couple skips keeps this from being a 5. Vintage strokes

Indie essential. This used to fuck harder for me but a relisten made it all seem a bit samey. Still brimming with bangers though.

(V) amazing early 00s album. Part of the culture in that time period

There’s something almost suspicious about how well Is This It works. The Strokes arrived in 2001 wearing their influences openly — the Velvet Underground’s cool detachment, Television’s guitar interplay, Tom Petty’s melodic instincts — assembled into something so polished and deliberate that it almost feels constructed rather than discovered. And yet the songs work anyway, which is the more honest critical observation. The production is intentionally compressed and lo-fi, Casablancas’ vocals run through a distorted amp to give everything a slightly muffled distance. That aesthetic choice could easily tip into sonic one-dimensionality, but the songwriting is sharp enough to carry it. The hooks are real, the energy is consistent front to back, and the record’s almost aggressive conciseness — eleven tracks, barely thirty-five minutes — means nothing overstays its welcome. It makes its case and gets out. What’s most surprising is how fun it is. Not in a guilty pleasure sense, but in the way a well-made thing is satisfying regardless of how self-consciously it was assembled. Feeling vaguely suspicious of your own enjoyment isn’t a useful rating category, and this record doesn’t deserve the skepticism its origin story invites. A clean four — consistently engaging, smartly constructed, and more alive than its reputation for cool calculation would suggest.

I really like it

ASS Album cover didn't make it in the US. Censorship iwa alive and well. This is good grungy sounding Rock to my ear holes. Saved a couple tracks. Yeah, the vocals are slightly fuzzy and the guitar work is redundant across the tracks. But all in all, there are a couple bangers. Me likey! 4/5

The Strokes so mi bli zmer všeč, ampak nikol pa nism ful notr padla. Hm, dons ni dobr dan zame. Tko da. I'll keep it short. Fajn album. (Je pa smešn, da se mi to zgodi glih na dan, ko je albumu naslov Is This It.) (Ok, time has passed, mam šanso še enkrat album poslušat: drugi komad, "The Modern Age" mi je ful všeč. Edin, te efekti k so na vokalu so mal fakin močni, komi se sliš Casablancasa. Also, lol, ker konc, k da jim zmanjka energije suddenly. "Someday", itak. Tokrat že slišan, pa še kr je dobr. Isto velja za "Last Nite". & "New York City Cops". Od teh k mi niso tok poznani, so mi kul še "Alone, Together", "Hard To Explain" fakin šopa, "Trying Your Luck", basically cel album, no. Na splošno mi deluje, da se bom še vrnila k temu albumu.)

this is like the millennial soundtrack. it goes so hard. except i forgot new york city cops, while funny, completely falls on its face and almost ruins the album Would I listen again: definitely Deserves to be on this list: was genre defining for schmucks 4.1

👌

Vrlo dobar album, slusa vec par puta, specificni Strokes zvuk i stvarno album flowa bez lose pisme. Kratak i sladak. 8/10 Najbolja pisma: Is this it

I finally get to see The Strokes live in just a couple months and listening to this just amped my excitement!

Solid turn of the century alt rock album that still holds up. This alternate cover is way hotter than the one I recall. 4.5⭐️

Probably my most “but I was there” album on this list. Still a bit of a disappointment after the Modern Age EP and Hard to Explain single. JC has never surpassed the better half of this, but I mean, how could he? Oh wait, I know, work with his bandmates to create It’s Never Been Like That and Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

Nice

The case of the missing ass pic, did 9/11 have something to do with that too??

Definitely shows its influences, possibly bordering on out and out derivative status. But still like it. It just sounds right. 4 Stars

I think if I was born like a year or two earlier this album would have been everything for me. Every subsequent time I've ever listened to this album I feel like I have missed out on the whole of the piece. These songs fill a void for a very particular angst that at this time I do not desire. That being said I think I have been able to enjoy the album a lot more than before, and honestly I do see myself listening to it again and thus possibly liking it more down the road. This albums influence cannot be understated, but in 2026, with the amount of garage rock/ indie scene we see, this album becomes less of a pinnacle moment or cultural signifier it once was.

An apt soundtrack for the jittery underground of post-9/11 America.

This one got better with age. I like it a lot more than I did when it came out.

- Lo-fi aesthetic works - tape hiss feels intentional, not a mistake - Julian’s detached vocals are the whole thing - cool but not cold - Band’s restraint is impressive, they know when NOT to add stuff - Great rhythm section driving everything - Flows well as an album, not just random songs - Raw and youthful, feels authentic

Fun album with lots of classics

Review - well this is a very good album. Coming off the back of 5 years of post grunge and nu metal, having multiple distinct guitar parts with minimal distortion and a bass line you could hear was probably hugely refreshing to audiences at the time. I like the way they build a song - can't put my finger on what's interesting about a lot of their songs structures but I find often the best bit will pop up several minutes in. It's less verse/chorus/verse than the other genres I mentioned. Rating - 8.5/10 Need to hear? YES

Soma is great

Honestly, I don’t have much to say about this one. The guitar solos were very good, and the album as a whole displayed many great aspects of rock as a genre. 4 stars.

I haven't listened to The Strokes for such a long time, and realising that this, their debut album, is from the late 90s, makes me feel so old. It's a cracking feelgood album, with what was a fresh and exciting sound for when it was released, and I'm now beginning to wonder why I stopped listening to them. I'm gonna give this one a strong four stars and add some of their back-catalogue to my play list.

Cool album, I already had some songs saved, but it was nice to listen to the full thing in a row 4

I loved this album. Solid all the way through. Great listen. I'm glad to hear some of the songs that didn't get overplayed

I like it! Very well done, pretty solid. Feels very NYC cool— very rock, adolescent mood. The muffled vocals are really cool, I also love the experimentation. Big on rock, so it’s really good. But, while it’s very musical and original, it can get a little repetitive, especially if you listen to the whole album the entire way through. Listening to an individual song is definitely better than listening to the entire album. Best tracks: Soma, Barely Legal, Someday, and Alone, Together. Pretty good! 4.5/5

Their full debut kicked off with the band's groovy, crunchy rock sound, combining melodic flows and toothsome pulses.

nice a wholetime classic

Not much to say on it. There's a lot of edgy, guitar-driven, hook-laden '90s and 2000s rock and I like pretty much all of it. The Strokes are on the less varied side of that diaspora, but their signature sound is enjoyable enough and I don't mind listening to it.

Really good. Love that super consistent sound. It's kind of punky, kind of dancey, kind of arty, kind of indie. It's really easy to tar with that indie brush. But there's some real style and some real songwriting and arrangement chops.

Like the sound on the whole. Someday and Last Nite were my favorites. Got a little stale by the end where a couple songs is great but don’t need the whole album at once again.

Remember when the cops got so mad at this album they made them take off the last track

4.5 stars. Some classics

It's a decent album, but I feel something is missing to make it an incredible album but I'm not sure what

The Velvet Above-ground! With private entrance and all amenities! Easy to crack on them, but the Strokes deliver the goods on this first record. It's got a lightweight insouciance that I love. They aren't trying to sell you on being cool. They were NYC hip kids in great clothes and make fun little rock in their idle time. They are cool. The only thing I don't like about this record is the corny cover. They could've done better.

Along with bands like Interpol, The Hives and all the neo-garage acts that were making a racket in Detroit, “Is This It” was another of the albums that made me excited about rock music again after the nadir of the late ‘90s, which gave us drivel like nu-metal, boy bands and slick manufactured pop. It sounds like the pre-9/11 New York City, youthful and louche. I hear elements of the Velvet Underground, of course, but also Television and Motorik backbeats. It's a good album but for whatever reason, I never bothered to follow the band's later output.

Yes it is!! Effortlessly cool, i love this album.

Netter Bass?

Muy dosmilero me encanta :D

Classic reboot of classic garage rock sound…. Proved that guitars and attitude in music were not dead…

There's a bunch of, dare I say it because eventually someone will call it, millennial-core (shudders) albums that I managed to not hear or listen to before this list for a variety of reasons, bands like the XX and MGMT I've managed to slip by despite being a hair over 30 as of time of writing. The Strokes were not one of them, but I can't say how much I value this album past its critical recognition. Rock music hit a lull in the 2000's, in the way that it's mainstream stay in pop culture felt like it was declining little by little till the late 2000's when electropop would boom and the focus on hip-hop and rappers as opposed to rock stars finally took hold. Needless to say, it makes me think if Is This It is one of the most important rock records of the decade. Which I admit I like the music and it's good and such, but I still don't understand the perspective of it being innovative for the genre. All of this is a long-winded, pretentious way of saying that I like most of the songs from Is This It, it's a good album, but I don't really take more of it than that. Also not a fan of Julian Casablancas as a singer, his personal life is a whole other story. As for rock music of the 2000s, I liked the direction of where LCD Soundsystem and especially other dancepunk music that made rock music a ton more rhythmic than this. For an album like this, I think the songs together are better than the sum of its parts, packaged as the album. The first four songs I've liked together, but after that the album doesn't really flow together for me. Someday and Last Nite are songs that are meh for me but everything else from the record is pretty good and remarkably not loud for the time period it came out in. It feels imperfect, maybe it was meant to sound like that. What is it anyways, an elaborate reference to the hit Faith No More song? Overall, I guess you could say I can Take It Or Leave It over This Is It.

I knew the hits but never listened to the full album. It surprised me and I would actually listen to it all again.

Pretty decent. Monotonous? Sure. But it's going in my playlist!

I have loved the Strokes for a while and really enjoyed this album

favorites: the modern age; someday; hard to explain

The little doodle-doo-do squiggle at the start of this album, followed by the drums kicking in, is one of the most pavlovian sounds in my life, I think. it's the most immediate time machine back to 2001-4 that exists. What a thrill it was for the Strokes to arrive, seemingly fully formed, onto to the scene. I remember being at Leeds 2001 when they initially were on a tiny stage and then got bumped and bumped in response to the way they just exploded. Anyway, in the main, this album isn't just nostalgic, it's also really good and very stylish. It's not quite perfect - there's a little bit of a lack of subtlety or variety in it. But did I love it? Yeah, course I did.

Damn, this was a pleasant surprise! Really enjoyed it. It started a bit slow but had some great songs in the middle. Favorites: Last Nite, Hard to Explain, Someday. 8/10 Most Excellent

I haven't listened to any of The Strokes before this, but I really enjoyed this album. It screams early 2000s punk in the guitar and stylized vocals. Some of the songs run into the issue of all sounding the same. But this was a pretty solid album for being their debut. I would definitely listen to more.

4 from both of us. Jeff: instant classic. Simran: already knew it, if you know you know.

Heard Before? Yes, oh yes. This was EVERYWHERE. Notes: - all the critics are right. there is no reason this album should work. - the hipster posturing, faux lo-fi production, moaning karaoke-megaphone vocals, boneheadedly simple guitar and bass parts all count against it. but that's also the appeal. - is there a single drum fill on this whole record? perhaps not. but the drums sound fantastic. - I don't care about the lyrics, but they serve their function of vaguely connecting with twentysomething record-collector dudes. - the songwriting, however, is hands-down magic. every song is hooky, has just the right amount of distinct parts, and tinkers with the formula just enough. nothing ever goes on too long and there are little surprises everywhere. - even the worst song ("New York City Cops") is fun as heck. - I would give "Room on Fire" a slight edge as the better album. Verdict: Maybe you had to be there, but this derivative garbage is nearly perfect. Listen Again? Oh yeah. When I first heard it I thought I would forget this album by 2002. But I have been coming back to it and "Room on Fire" occasionally since their release.

When this was current I sorta dismissed this album. I figured, who would want this when the White Stripes are available. Revisiting it today however, I totally get the appeal as something a bit different

What a unique sound man. I've really dug this album.

печаль, грусть, красиво

again i forget to write specifics.....😭 enjoyed this, i like the strokes.... struggling w the rating.....feel like it is prob a 4 but im so generous w 4s lately that i don't want to give one.......but this was better than that rush album to me so it feels wrong to rate the same....hmmmm...high 3 rounded to 4 how about

enjoyed this, i like their sound good beats, makes u want to move

Oldie but goodie

A solid four stars. Some really good songs and I like the production. Hugely influential for a reason.

I actually added some songs to my liked songs. Think I will actually continue to listen to them. Love me some indie rock

Propper Millenium alternative/ Independent rock.

The last upbeat album of 2001.

Great album all around. I’ve listened to this many times before in the past and it still holds up in my opinion. Good vibes and not too long of an album. Solid 4/5 for me and probably always will be.

I've known and heard this album from a while ago, I listened to the strokes often in high school. Still holds up great in my opinion

3.5/5. Pari tosi hyvää biisii mut se koko albumin soundi ei aina toiminu ja oli välil vähän ärsyttäväki. Nautin kuitenki ja kokonaisuus oli upea!

This was from the 2000s? Sounds like they used retro equipment to make some simple yet effective back-to-basics rock. I can hear the influence this has had on a lot of indie rock and pop!

Another album that I have heard a lot about but never heard. It had a nolsstalgic feel to it and I love the effects on the vocals. It did kinda blend which probably the only real bad thing about it.

Makes me want to watch “how I meet your mother “

CAN'T YOU SEE I'M TRYINGGGG

a couple of HEATERS as well as an awesome album cover

Aunque la guitarrita y los vocals ya se me hacian un poco repetitivas, descubri el temazo que es Hard to Explain y reviví mentalmente algunos momentos de cuando tenía 16 años y me creía rockandrollera por escuchar a los Strokes. Tengo que admitir que es un clásico y pasó el test of time 25 años después

This album reminds of that magical time where we, the consumers, made an unwritten pact to bands: we will pirate all your music, and in return we promise not to disparage your credibility when you sell out to Apple to sell iPod shuffles. So, yes, these sellouts have some good kickers.

The Strokes are in that perfect cultural nadir - lost all modern relevance, but not yet old enough to have any retro appeal. That being said, I’ve had some great times listening to this album, and I still remember hearing Last Nite for the first time and getting my little socks blown off. This album is good enough to stand the test of time. They’ll be back.

Sounds good

i like it, def high school vibes

Some really good old school classics.

Classic. Great sound. Gives me a lot of nostalgia. A solid 4

I weirdly know a lot more of this album than I thought I did, maybe its due to songs from it bleeding into pop culture via movies and TV, maybe its kind of a sense memory from how many bands took influence from The Strokes and still sound like this. That in mind, it's a pretty quintessential early 2000s album, not quite the culture change of Nirvana in the 90s but I'd argue a lower magnitude equivalent. While I did enjoy my time with it idk that it will leave much of a lasting impression on me with the exception of the title track

Webcam mic. I hoped I would enjoy the non-hits more than I did but it's still a great album.

Great album. Starts a little slow but by the fourth track it is coming on strong. The middle of this album just pumps out a string of badass guitar driven rhythm rock gems without letting up until the almost the end. Standout songs for me are: 4. "Barely Legal" 5. "Someday" 6. "Alone, Together" 7. "Last Nite" 8. "Hard to Explain" 10. "Trying Your Luck"

Wonderfully aggressive and gritty.

3.75

Significant album in modern indie and it still stands the test of time. Takes a song or two to get going but builds into a scuzzy guitar fest with sparse production and sneery vocals. Forgot how good this is (it).

It's lit

fave song: last night

I bought this album when it was released. I initially loved the album, although I always found the vocal effects a little jarring. Due in part to the albums popularity and my early to late 20s period of pretentious music snobbery, (which at one point found me in a small venue buying an album by an artist that performed in a wedding dress and wobbled cardboard for part of the perormance which was as objectively crap as it sounds in retrospect), I decided I no longer liked this album. For years I've maintained that position, largely because it's been over 20 years since I gave it a chance again. Well, what an idiot I've been, and this is why pretentious music snobbery gets you nowhere. I maintain that I find the vocals jarring, but I get they fit the aesthetic of the music. Some of the songs are overplayed, but that doesn't take away from how good the album is. I've always said I'm eclectic, but sometimes when I decide I don't like something, I can be very stubborn about changing my mind. Overall, 8/10. I will be buying this on vinyl. It loses marks because of the vocals, but that's just a nitpicking part of me and because it doesn't match 10/10 albums I will have on my list.

holy fuck

This really surprised me. I always saw them as "the same as Interpol and all those bands" and never really gave them a chance. But this is good! Short, to the point, angular at times, snarky.

2000s period piece

I really enjoyed this album

God everyone wanted to be the Strokes in the 2000s didn’t they? No wonder, this album is just so enjoyable and listenable and cool. Scratch that, everyone STILL wants to be the Strokes. My main criticism is I didn’t need that effect over Mr. Casablanca’s voice in every song. This is an album of certified bangers!

album title is accurate cos i am asking if that’s it (i want more)

More like a 4.5, but rounded down. Why? It's hard to explain.

A very casually great debut album that bears repeated listen, although maybe not 24 hours nonstop.

really amazing album, I get the hype!

good riffs, lots of catchy hooks, the strokes style just gets a little repetitive when you listen to the whole thing multiple times.

I LOVE THE STROKKKKES!!!! Their second best album imo.4.5 if i could give halves

We're Not Enemies, We Just Disagree 1001 Albums Generator 208 (1/19/2025) Is This It is kind of like, the indie rock album. Like, I don't know a more important, critically, and commercially received album in the genre. So much so that it almost feels wrong to call it indie since it's so well known. Musically, it's a pretty garage-y style of indie that really captures the feeling of a few lads just jamming out. But there is a deceptive amount of musicality on this thing. From that sexy bassline that comes in during verse 2 of the title track to the guitar solo in The Modern Age, there are these little hints at the band's musical prowess throughout these deceptively simple-sounding compositions. It's a classic for a reason, but I think that the songs that aren't at that absolute indie pinnacle status are sometimes not very interesting. The consistent sound and tone of the music also starts to blend together by the end. With that said, Is This It is still quite a good piece of indie rock that holds up to this day. 4/5. Favs: Is This It Soma Hard To Explain Least Fav: Trying Your Luck

The revival of good time indie guitar driven garage rock. You can hear their influence on a lot of great garage rock bands to come along since.

Valmiiksi tuttu albumi! The Strokes toimii aina

i love this album, most in bm. cool filter thing on the voice

Classic album, unique production, some great stuff like last nite and the title track, just a very enjoyable album.

Very well made. A fun album in general. Excellent song writing and masterful instrumentation

muito muito bom! eu já conhecia algumas músicas mas nunca tinha ouvir inteiro! instrumentais incríveis e vibe perfeita

ΚΙΘΑΡΑ ΛΟΒΒΒ Ο δίσκος ειναι καθαριστικός αλλα οχι με κριντζ τρόπο Modern age Someday Nite 4.5 stars

exception songs except for a 2 or 3 mediocre ones

Already a favourite

Nunca tinha ouvido na íntegra. Bom álbum pra ouvir num dia cinza durante um passeio pelo centro histórico. Hard to Explain ainda é a minha favorita :)

Nostalgic

Honestly amazing so amazing. Good instruments fun production a bit of rock, an emotional album but not overly. Very 2000s. I’m very surprised I will be listening again.

Iconic album from my youth, it set the stage for a lot of my habits. It has definitely aged more like milk than wine, but it still has the same visceral qualities that I once loved

Cool.

I like every song on here except for the first one. Influenced by punk and 60s rock, all of their tunes have great hooks and great melodies.

A summer ish albums that i’d listen with some cigarettes and beer at the beach with my friends that turns into the night of the same day within the last songs. Real cool. Kinda reminds me of the early smiths or the cure in the 80s with the guitar and those drums. Genius.

First song I was not vibing with but this is my reminder to just give it a second and withhold my judgement for more than one song because the album really grew on me and I kind of came to love it. Good songs, good vibe - good album.

Was a fan of the singles before this, but this is the first time listening to the album. I really like it when something like this comes up in the list for me to hear.

actually so ein banger!! bisher kannte ich nur alone, together und es war echt cool das ganze album anzuhören; sehr vibey

Banger

When this album first came out, I somehow assumed The Strokes were a British band. At the time, I was deep into The White Stripes, and The Strokes felt a bit too light and breezy for my taste, so I didn’t really give them a proper listen. I came back to this album later, though, and realized just how much it influenced UK rock in the late 2000s and beyond. Personally, I really like “Juicebox” from First Impressions of Earth.

Classic indie 2000s - def worth listening to and good overall vibe. I'm feeling generous so will say it's more like 3.75*

good album

I liked it, but a lot of the songs sound the same…

I can't believe I didn't like this album when I first heard it. There's a kind of warm and familiar sense that carries the tone of the whole album, especially on songs like Barely Legal and Hard to Explain. Apparently this album got sanitized for the US release so I had to spend 15 minutes looking for how to listen to New York City Cops because god forbid we make a song with New York City in the title after the September 11th Attacks. The US really is a heavily propagandized country and most people don't even notice it. Anyways, it's a good record and I do prefer the US album cover to the international one, but New York City Cops is so much better than When It Started. I'm now going to close this review by joking about the thing I just ranted about. What's the difference between 9/11 and a cow? You can't milk a cow for 24 years.

i LOVE IT.HIT ME RIGHT IN THE SPOT

freshhhh

didn’t finish the album but i thought it had a great nostalgic feel. i’m not a fan of the strokes but i love their sound and vibe. i see why this album is so iconic and i found it relatable.

Good, stripped down rock 'n roll. Some really nice guitar interplay. I liked this despite a kind of sameness, a little lack of diversity, but good stuff.

One of my favorite albums growing up. Made me feel really cool whenever I listened. Still does!!!

have this on cd. looooove this album perfect sunday chill songs. i love hard to explain. thought they were a british band for the longest

Way more fun than I expected. Also for some reason I thought that The Strokes were a 70's classic rock band. Well, it was a surprise. Nice.

This album may have been a victim of its own success - it spawned a lot of mediocre indie bands. Listening to it now though, I remember why so many people wanted to be the Strokes.

Haha jag tänkte så sent som häromdan att vi skulle få den här skivan. Och jag tänkte på att hur jävla bra "Modern age" är. På rak arm tror jag att det är den bästa debutsingeln jag hört så länge som jag varit medveten om musik. Suedes "The drowners" var grym, Oasis "Supersonic" också men "Modern age" är fan ett strå bättre. Det var verkligen en käftsmäll när den kom. Dom efterföljande singlar som finns på albumet ("Hard to explain", "Last nite" och i synnerhet "Someday") är också jättebra även om dom aldrig når "Modern age" och dess närmaste chockverkan. Som album betraktat gillar jag soundet skarpt, de är sammanhållet och relativt simpelt, inte massa onödiga pålägg och utfyllnad av en ganska tunn ljudbild och den låter så rakt igenom, smakfullt. Utöver singlarna finns det en drös låtar som är bra och också några som inte riktigt når fram. Sen kanske man måste nämna estetiken eller egentligen hela auran runt The Strokes år 2001. Dom var det perfekta New York-rockbandet, snortighta skinnpajer, kedjerökande, ovårdade frisyrer, en arrogant hybris och en låt emot ordningsmakten. Rubrikerna basunerade ut "Rockens räddning"(ännu en gång). Det levde dom förstås aldrig upp till, dom blev bara markant sämre efter denna debut. Men dom gjorde "Modern age", den är nästintill perfekt och just där och då var den nog fan rockens räddning. Snubblar mellan trean och fyran nen snubblar rätt

00-tal och amerikansk indie. Förväntar mig standardettan av Perna. Själv gillar jag det här såväl när det kom som idag. Strokes låter helt klart annorlunda än mycket annan dynga inom genren som kom vid den här tiden. Inget nyskapande men flera riktigt bra treminuters rockalster. Enkelt och medryckande. The modern age, Last nite, Barely legal och New York city cops tillhör favoriterna. En stabil fyra.

Is this It Is this it Repeating is this it, is something ending or starting? The background repeated notes feel like a build up, love this song The Modern Age Similar with repeated strong building up beat, Soma I like the clean transitions between songs, much more intense gritty singing Barely Legal Love this, very catchy and fun but not the most fun topic ig Someday Like this song, talking about the future in title but feels focused on past or own flaws Alone, Together Themes of longing, especially for a person in this whole alblum tbh, catchy guitar?? Last Nite They dont understand, sad and misunderstood but in an upbeat vibey way Hard to Explain Feel happy listening to this, interesting stop in the middle thought my phone was glitching When it Started Like you're reaching for something Trying Your Luck Like this guitar again, feels sad and missing something Take it or Leave It More aggressive, has the same stronger grittier singing that Soma has, like this song

Iconic early 2000s New York rock scene music. Iconic because of its influence on many 2000s bands, advertiaing and movie sound. Too iconic not to like.

Fun, vibey. Recognised some tracks. Remus Lupin approved!

This is an absolutely amazing album. Need to listen again sometime and really listen not tack a shower at the same time but what I did was amazing.

This album got a lot of plays to and from work in the early 2000s. The title track is low key one of my favorite openers of any album ever. I would happily put this album on at any time and misses being a 5 only because I save those for one of a kind albums. In other words a very strong 4. 4/5

Apesar de não ser tão meu estilo, me agradou bastante. As músicas são envolventes e contagiantes.

8/10

Ive listened to this album many times and I loved it when I was about 21. But I think listening to it now it felt kind of repetitive. I still like a lot of the songs, especially New York City Cops that’s a new favourite.

A teenage classic. Very much to the point, zero filler across the running time. Struggled to understand the appeal a bit when I was younger but makes complete sense now.

Really solid! Could be a bit more adventurous

this was a fun one

This album is actually quite a bit better than what I remembered. I listened to it when it came out and thought it was OK. I think if these guys weren’t from New York City, it probably wouldn’t have been as big of a deal. Apple Music has it is one of the top hundred albums of all time which I think is a stretch but it’s still pretty good.

Buen disco, muy regular, lo escuché harto este año, disco de esos que marcan épocas, fue la vuelta del rock con guitarras a la escena, muy influyente en el género. Regular, sin muchos puntos altos ni bajos. Me suena un poco repetitivo en cuando a melodías y ritmo pero con muy buenas canciones, sin nada muy complejo en lo lírico ni musical pero fresco. En términos de producción no me parece la gran wea, sonido bien crudo, simple, enérgico, como buen disco de indie. Del resto: bajo, batería y voz al centro y guitarras una a cada lado. Su trabajo en las guitarras es de las cosas que más me gustan de the strokes, el tratamiento y juego entre ellas, cada una con un sonido bien diferente, brillantes, metálicas, un poquito de distorsión y nada más, menos es más, sin grandes riffs ni solos como el rock clásico, una rítmica cortante y arpegios que se entrelazan muy bien. Y algo que me gusta en todos los álbumes de la banda es el sonido de la voz de Julián y ese efecto como si estuviera cantando como por un megáfono y su actitud desganada o a veces desgarradora con su voz rasposa. Uno de mis discos fav de the strokes Canción favorita: Alone Together (de hecho fue mi canción más escuchada este año) Para mí realmente es como un 3.5 pero no se puede esa nota:(