The Strokes Hit the Mark with ‘One Way Trigger’

The Strokes are at it again. It has been two years since the music world has heard from the cool rockers who released their new single “One Way Trigger” on Friday.

Posting the track to their website for fans to stream and download, the new song is a triumphant return for the band who dropped their fourth album Angles in 2011 after a lengthy hiatus following touring for their third album First Impressions of Earth.

The new record begins with drummer Fabrizio Moretti whispering a hushed “One, two, three,” before a blast of synth and guitar welcome in lead singer Julian Casablancas’s high notes.

Though not new to falsetto (Casablancas has stretched his vocal chords before in tracks like “Machu Picchu” and “Call Me Back” from Angles), the change of pace from Casablancas’s classic croon polarized fans who immediately took to Facebook and Twitter after the track’s release to sound off.

Some fans praised the song as the next big Strokes hit while others were disappointed and confused, many attributing their reactions toward Casablancas’s falsetto and the overall change in style for the rugged garage band known for their muffled vocals and staccato rhythms. The new track has even been compared to A-ha’s 1985 hit “Take on Me.”

What’s interesting is how resistant fans are to this new sound. The upbeat melody, peppy piano, cool synth and eighties tinge to “One Way Trigger” is reminiscent of 2011’s Angles and comparable to Casablancas’s solo album, Phrazes for the Young.

Angles was also met with mixed reviews by fans. Some felt as though the band had strayed from its rugged neo-garage rock roots (though The Strokes have made it clear that they have never even played in a garage). Angles was underrated, however, and proved the band’s growth and versatility which included the reggae-like “Machu Picchu” and classic rock inspired “Gratisfaction.”

The album obviously pulled from Casablancas, guitarist Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture and Moretti’s solo and side projects, as Angles was the first album where the bandmates collaborated on all of the tracks together; previously, Casablancas was the principle songwriter.

Despite the monumental influence of their debut album Is This It, an album that is to thank for a lot of the bands on the indie charts today, we can’t expect another Is This It after over a decade since it was released. The Strokes have grown up and so has their music.

The pre-chorus of “One Way Trigger” has Casablancas singing, “You asked me to stay, but there’s a million reasons to leave,” in his familiar croon before belting out his falsetto in the chorus.

With lyrics like that and the switching between croon and falsetto, “One Way Trigger” is both catchy and the kind of song I want to sing at the top of my lungs while cruising in my car with all the windows down.

Billboard.com reported that the band will be dropping their fifth album sometime this year.

If “One Way Trigger” is any indication of the future album, then The Strokes are certainly returning to their thrones as the kings of indie rock.

UPDATE: The Strokes have announced that their fifth album Comedown Machine will be released on March 26 with the first official single, “All the Time,” dropping on Feb. 19.

Jessica Keesee can be reached at jessica.keesee@theminaretonline.com.