The Strokes Release New Single Going Shopping and Announce Album Reality Awaits

The Strokes have announced the release of their seventh studio album, Reality Awaits, scheduled to arrive on June 26, 2026. The project will be released via Cult Records and RCA Records, marking the band’s first full-length album since the 2020 release of The New Abnormal.

Accompanying the announcement is the official release of the lead single, Going Shopping. The track is described as a guitar-meets-synth number with a breezy, festival-ready sound that incorporates the band’s classic anthemics. Frontman Julian Casablancas provides vocals on the four-minute song, which features auto-tuning and lyrics where he describes goin’ out my mind, throwin’ all my plans out the window.

The rollout for the new material began with a series of nostalgic, retro-themed teasers on social media, including a video featuring a vintage car and the phrase In the flesh, it’s even sexier. To engage fans, the band initially mailed Going Shopping on cassette tape to a select group of listeners and debuted the song live in San Francisco on April 6, 2026, before it hit streaming platforms on April 7, 2026.

Production and Track Listing

The album was recorded in Costa Rica and produced by Rick Rubin, who also worked on the band’s previous LP. While the core recording took place in Costa Rica, the project was finished in various locations around the globe.

The upcoming project consists of nine songs. The confirmed track list for Reality Awaits is as follows:

• Psycho Shit
• Dine N’ Dash
• Lonely in the Future
• Falling out of Love
• Going to Babble On
• Going Shopping
• Liar’s Remorse
• The Fruits of Conquest
• Pros and Cons

The album artwork was art directed and designed by Johann Rashid, drawing inspiration from Richard Prince’s 1989 original work Untitled (Cowboy).

Creative Evolution and Band Dynamics

The return of the band follows a period of uncertainty regarding their creative direction. In 2024, Julian Casablancas discussed the idea of stepping away from The Strokes to focus on his other project, The Voidz, though he characterized the band as a very cool day job that he was honored to have.

Casablancas later reflected on the internal pressures that affected the group’s output, suggesting that the band had at one point entered a cycle where they remained together primarily for financial reasons, which pushed their creativity into the background.

My journey with the Strokes became something different from what initially attracted me to music. We had entered a mechanism that kept us together solely for financial reasons, pushing the band’s creativity into the background. So I came to the conclusion that wasn’t the way I wanted to develop.

Julian Casablancas via Rolling Stone Italia

Casablancas emphasized the necessity of change and exploration in music, citing a Miles Davis quote stating that the real risk is not changing. He noted that while financial success is acceptable, he prioritizes searching for unexplored sounds over maintaining the status quo.

Upcoming Tour Dates

The announcement of the new album coincides with a heavy touring schedule for the band. The Strokes are set to perform at Coachella on April 11 and 18, 2026.

Following their Coachella appearances, the band is scheduled for several headline festival slots throughout the summer, including:

• Bonnaroo (mid-June)
• Outside Lands (early August)
• Summer Sonic in Japan (mid-August)
• Shaky Knees

Further world tour dates are expected to be announced in the coming weeks and months.