Many fans of The Strokes have not been entirely happy with the first preview of their next album, the anticipated ‘Reality Awaits’, which will be available on June 26. This could be attributed to Julian Casablancas’ autotune, to the “simplicity” of the composition or even to the length of the song, which perhaps should not have exceeded 3 and a half minutes. At least ‘Going Shopping’ is fun. It’s the Song of the Day.
The song first reached the band’s fans via cassette. Shortly after, ‘Going Shopping’ was making the rounds on the Internet, only for the band to officially release the song the day after sending out the tapes.
Produced by Rick Rubin, ‘Going Shopping’ is a summer jam that doesn’t try to get too complicated. Precisely, like the narrator of the song itself. Musically, the song stands out for its retro aesthetic, especially in the keyboards and the distorted and eighties tone of the two guitar solos. If we are going to assume that all is lost, at least make it sound danceable.
“The worse reality gets, the less you want to hear about it,” Casablancas sings in the first verse. The New York artist is painting a clear picture of the prevailing mentality in 2026, mentioning persecutions with “words instead of claws”, the difficulty of being supportive “when you have cool things to lose” and the construction of “castles with the bones of dead trees.”
Casablancas distances itself from all this and surrenders to the modern alignment. He just wants to “go shopping,” be a “7-foot zombie,” and listen to his favorite song at the mall. This is how he sings it just before entering the chorus, a real ‘earworm’: “I’m going to the country / Not too far / I’m losing my mind.”
In the end, the New York band is using the classic resource of making a song that sounds happy and upbeat with lyrics with apocalyptic touches. There’s room for ageism here too, with Casablancas singing about himself: “I’ve been thinking about what I want to say, but now I’m an old man / At least, that’s what they tell me.”
Charging …