{"id":2069131,"date":"2026-07-30T10:00:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T07:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2069131"},"modified":"2026-07-30T10:00:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T07:00:26","slug":"the-strokes-is-this-it-turns-25-producer-gordon-raphael-talks-bottling-magic-and-if-it-could-ever-happen-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2069131","title":{"rendered":"The Strokes\u2019 \u2018Is This It\u2019 turns 25: Producer Gordon Raphael talks bottling magic and if it could ever happen again"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/the_strokes_2002_2.jpg&#8221;]<\/p>\n<article id=\"template-id-2749694\" class=\"post-2749694 tdb_templates type-tdb_templates status-publish post\">\n<div id=\"tdi_65\" class=\"tdc-zone\">\n<div class=\"tdc_zone tdi_66  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div id=\"tdi_67\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_68  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_70  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_breadcrumbs tdi_71 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-breadcrumbs \" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_71\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span>News<\/span><span>Music News<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_title tdi_72 tdb-single-title td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_72\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">The Strokes\u2019 \u2018Is This It\u2019 turns 25: Producer Gordon Raphael talks bottling magic and if it could ever happen again<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_subtitle tdi_73 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_73\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>The man behind the desk of the NYC icons&#8217; first two records tells us about the &#8220;miracle&#8221; of their debut, the scene that it came from, the &#8220;landfill indie&#8221; that followed, and how we don&#8217;t know how good we&#8217;ve got it with the current crop of guitar bands<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_author tdi_75 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_75\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-author-name-wrap\"><span class=\"tdb-author-by\">By<\/span> Andrew Trendell<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_date tdi_76 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 tdb-post-meta\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_76\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><time class=\"entry-date updated td-module-date\" datetime=\"2026-07-30T11:00:26+01:00\">30th July 2026<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tdi_77\" class=\"tdc-row stretch_row_1400 td-stretch-content\">\n<div class=\"vc_row tdi_78  wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_80  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span8\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_featured_image tdi_81 tdb-content-horiz-left td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_81\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"696\" height=\"442\" class=\"entry-thumb\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/the_strokes_2002_2-696x442.jpg\" alt=\"The Strokes perform live in 2002 (Photo by J. Vespa\/WireImage)\" title=\"The Strokes, live, 2002\"><figcaption class=\"tdb-caption-text\">The Strokes perform live in 2002 (Photo by J. Vespa\/WireImage)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_row_inner tdi_83 article-content-row vc_row vc_inner wpb_row td-pb-row\">\n<div class=\"vc_column_inner tdi_85  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-inner-column td-pb-span12\">\n<div class=\"vc_column-inner\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>To mark 25 years since the release of The Strokes\u2018 seminal debut \u2018Is This It\u2018, producer Gordon Raphael has spoken to <em>NME<\/em> about the album\u2019s impact and legacy, as well as the fortunes of the band since and the current guitar rock renaissance.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: The Strokes on the cover: \u201cJournalists kiss your ass to your face and talk shit when they\u2019re writing the article\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u2018Is This It\u2019 was first released on this day (July 30) in Australia back in 2001, before hitting shelves in the UK, Europe and Japan the following month and an eventual October release in the US after delays brought on by the 9\/11 attacks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>In a 10\/10 review of the album, <em>NME<\/em> hailed \u2018Is This It\u2019 as \u201cone of the best and most characterful debut albums of the last 20 years\u201d. The now classic debut from Julian Casablancas and co contained the singles \u2018Hard to Explain\u2019, \u2018Last Nite\u2019 and \u2018Someday\u2019 and kickstarted a global garage rock revolution from the ashes of Britpop, grunge and nu-metal. For better or worse, the stylish and effortlessly cool breeze of the NYC future-icons and the infectious shapes and era-defining lyrics of the album set the template for indie for coming decade, and laid the foundations for the likes of Arctic Monkeys, The Killers and The Libertines.<\/p>\n<p>With the band having freshly released seventh album \u2018Reality Awaits\u2018 last week, The Strokes\u2019 immeasurably influential debut has now turned a quarter of a century old. \u201cIt does feel weird to think that so much time has passed so quickly, but it is absolutely wonderful that people are still listening to it and loving it,\u201d the album\u2019s producer Gordon Raphael told <em>NME<\/em>. \u201cThat\u2019s a miracle.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Strokes 'Last Nite' TOTP (2001) HD\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6u4-zmzNY_A?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Despite going on the reshape the world of music together, Raphael admitted that he \u201creally didn\u2019t understand\u201d them when he first encountered then in New York in the year 2000.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGuitar music was very out of fashion when I saw them. \u2018Why are these people acting like it\u2019s important?\u2019 It was confusing to me,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce I got them in the studio, I thought \u2018This is really cool music\u2019. They just picked the wrong time to do rock because no one was interested. In New York, everyone was talking about drum n\u2019 bass and jungle music. That was the big thing. That was the new trend in these clubs.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI really began loving their music and liking how serious they were about it and how hard they were working \u2013 but I didn\u2019t think the world was going to go back to rock music at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3959737\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3959737\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3959737\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/the_strokes_2002_3.jpg\" alt=\"Julian Casablancas of The Strokes performs at the House of Blues in Las Vegas in 2002 (Photo by Scott Harrison\/Getty Images)\" width=\"1303\" height=\"2000\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3959737\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Julian Casablancas of The Strokes performs at the House of Blues in Las Vegas in 2002 (Photo by Scott Harrison\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Hype soon engulfed the New York indie scene that also gave us the likes of Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV On The Radio. However, these bands were finding their feet and their sound independently from one another in a city that wasn\u2019t quite ready to accept them just yet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese bands were existing separately to each other, and they met in London,\u201d Raphael shared. \u201cI moved to London in early 2002 and all the bands from New York and America \u2013 The White Stripes, Interpol, The Kills, Yeah Yeah Yeahs \u2013 they were coming through Club Metro. London was the glue that made New York seem like it was a scene.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Having produced the band\u2019s \u2018The Modern Age\u2019 EP, Raphael was well aware of the different type of magic he wanted to bottle with the band. \u201cPro-Tools was coming in and people could make bigger productions so I said, \u2018If you want to do the opposite then go out and play the songs and have that be it. Just play it, I\u2019ll capture it, and we\u2019ll be completely different to these manufactured songs\u2019,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith the album they had more time, so they wanted to make sure everything was as perfect as it could possibly be: every detail done correctly. For young guys in rock \u2019n\u2019 roll, that\u2019s not usual either. It\u2019s usually like, \u2018Oh, just let it slip, it\u2019s just rock \u2019n\u2019 roll\u2019. These guys were really serious about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3959738\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3959738\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3959738\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/the_strokes_2002_1.jpg\" alt=\"Julian Casablanca of The Strokes at the Troubadour in Hollywood in 2002 (Photo by Gina Ferazzi\/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3959738\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Julian Casablanca of The Strokes at the Troubadour in Hollywood in 2002 (Photo by Gina Ferazzi\/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Raphael still fondly remembers the \u201cincredible excitement\u201d of being in and around London in 2001 as the UK were one of the first places to really embrace The Strokes, with clubs and radio stations playing \u2018Hard To Explain\u2019 and \u2018New York City Cops\u2019 \u201cback-to-back\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was an explosion going on in the UK, but the record wasn\u2019t scheduled to come out in the US until around September 11,\u201d he recalled of the album\u2019s original US release date of September 25. \u201cOf course it was delayed because of 9\/11, and then the tracklisting was changed. I don\u2019t think the US tracklisting was as exciting as the rest of the world\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sensitivity in the wake of 9\/11 attacks saw \u2018New York City Cops\u2019 replaced with \u2018When It Started\u2019 for CD releases in the United States, as a city and a nation was reeling in the face of terror and the dawning of a new age.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNew York was fast asleep in the summer of 2001, and then completely in a sombre, freaked-out mood after the Twin Towers fell,\u201d said Raphael.\u00a0\u201cPeople were in shock. I was in New York on 9\/11, only a couple of miles from the site. I could actually hear it and I could see the people being effected. Everyone was tuned into the news.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo one was talking about music, then all these bands coming through, travelling to London, making a name, and then that was echoing back into the US. \u2018Woah, these bands are getting popular overseas, so we\u2019d better pay attention\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Having been living the music life in bands as a producer for many years already, Raphael suddenly found himself in the eye of a storm and a world-conquering rock movement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo finally have something that the world was talking about and celebrating was huge,\u201d he admitted. \u201cThe band put my photo in the sleeve along with their own so wherever I went people were like, \u2018Oh, that\u2019s the guy from The Strokes, let\u2019s have him produce us and invite him to a party\u2019. It was actually phenomenal and fun. It was a rock \u2019n\u2019 roll dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Strokes - The Modern Age (Official HD Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RzO7IGWGxu8?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Raphael would go on to produce the band\u2019s 2003 follow-up \u2018Room On Fire\u2018, an album he admitted was \u201cphenomenally good\u201d despite the pressure to match \u2018Is This It\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey had been touring for two years before that, so their musicianship was at a peak that I hadn\u2019t seen before,\u201d said Raphael. \u201cThey were more like Led Zeppelin than some skinny kids in a basement, like they were on the first one. They were really powerful and muscular on their instruments, so I would say that \u2018Room On Fire\u2019 was also a great achievement of music and I\u2019m very happy to be associated with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He then admitted having something of a \u201cconflict\u201d on their third album, having been initially brought in to produce 2005\u2019s more arena-ready \u2018First Impressions Of Earth\u2018 before being replaced with David Kahne partway through recording.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI kind of never got over that feeling of, \u2018OK, now they\u2019re with somebody else\u2019,\u201d admitted Raphael. \u201cThat wasn\u2019t really my sound any more so it didn\u2019t hit me as much. It wasn\u2019t really a collaboration, but they were moving in their own direction and that was great. They\u2019re artists, they deserved it, they were very cool people, so I gave them kudos but I wasn\u2019t that into the sound after the first two.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then of course came the era that has retrospectively come to be known as \u201clandfill indie\u201c, with the latter half of the \u201900s into the next decade delivering a version of the genre that Raphael argued was clearly much less inspired.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t like it. I moved to London as soon as I could after the release of \u2018Is This It\u2019 because I had opportunities to work there,\u201d he said. \u201cBy around 2004, people were dressing like The Strokes and using the same patterns in the music, but it was all very slick, manufactured, corporate rock. They weren\u2019t calling me to produce that stuff any more. I moved to Berlin right at the start of 2005 because I didn\u2019t feel like there was anything super-infectious happening in the UK indie scene at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRazorlight, Editors and other things were happening. It became very pop, slick and commercial but with The Strokes haircuts.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3959740\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3959740\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3959740\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/the_strokes_2001_1.jpg\" alt=\"The Strokes backstage in California in 2001 (Photo by Anthony PIdgeon\/Redferns)\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3959740\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Strokes backstage in California in 2001 (Photo by Anthony PIdgeon\/Redferns)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Speaking to us from LA where he was fresh from a recording session with \u201ca very cool rock band\u201d called The Abomic Toms, Raphael said he was encouraged by the current crop of guitar bands leading something of an understated renaissance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving lived in Berlin for the 2000s, the 2010s and 2020s, now I\u2019m in the UK again,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is an incredible live guitar band revival post-pandemic. I recorded 27 bands in New York City the last time I went there. That\u2019s incredible. There are more bands in New York than I\u2019ve ever seen before, more than the \u201880s, more than the 2000s, and there are many, many good ones. Also, the regional scenes up in the North of England, in London, in LA, in New York, they\u2019re all popping off but they\u2019re not connected. The media isn\u2019t really paying attention.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I recorded 27 bands, that means there\u2019s a whole host of stuff going on in New York but only New Yorkers know about it. I find that very strange, but it is very gratifying to know that people are back after the pandemic. They don\u2019t just want to sit back and do laptop stuff and go on the internet, they want to go and play shows and hear live music. I think that\u2019s a beautiful thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So could we see another indie scene big bang moment again like we did with The Strokes?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know about that,\u201d Raphael replied. \u201cSince the year 2001, music has shifted because of streaming and the fact that it\u2019s free. It\u2019s now competing with a whole lot of other social and entertainment things. I don\u2019t know if music has the same place in culture any more as it has historically. I\u2019m not sure how great music and phenomenal bands fit into today\u2019s cultural landscape. I\u2019d love to see it re-emerge as something that people have to agree upon, but I\u2019m not sure how that\u2019s going to function.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added:\u00a0\u201cThere are people developing beautiful musical ideas and bands. Whether or not it can catch fire and enable them to make a living? I hope so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And what does Gordon Raphael think of The Strokes\u2019 new album \u2018Reality Awaits\u2019?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m very happy to see the reaction of the world,\u201d he replied. \u201cWhether they\u2019re liking it or not, they\u2019re talking about it. I think Madonna\u2019s record [\u2018Confessions II\u2019] and The Strokes\u2019 record seem to be the talk of the summer, which is very exciting. Both of them deserve it. The Strokes are touring and everyone is raving about how great the shows are, so I\u2019m all for this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018Reality Awaits\u2019 by The Strokes is out now. The band are currently in the midst of a North American tour that will later reach the UK and Europe in October.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_tags tdi_87 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_87\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<ul class=\"tdb-tags\">\n<li><span>Related Topics<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Albert Hammond Jr<\/li>\n<li>Indie<\/li>\n<li>Julian Casablancas<\/li>\n<li>The Strokes<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper td_block_wrap vc_raw_html tdi_89 \">\n<div class=\"td-fix-index\">\n<h3>You May Also Like<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_column tdi_91  wpb_column vc_column_container tdc-column td-pb-span4 td-is-sticky\">\n<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n<div class=\"td-a-rec td-a-rec-id-sidebar  tdi_92 td_block_template_2\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap 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tdc-no-posts td_flex_block\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_105\">\n<div id=\"tdi_105\" class=\"td_block_inner td-mc1-wrap\">\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Ride to play the classics on \u2018Here And Now\u2019 2027 UK tour<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Billie Eilish and Finneas \u201cwould not be who they are\u201d without Glen Hansard\u2019s music as family pay tribute<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div 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return to announce first live show since 2024<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"td_module_flex td_module_flex_1 td_module_wrap td-animation-stack\">\n<div class=\"td-module-container td-category-pos-above\">\n<div class=\"td-module-meta-info\">\n                    Music News<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"entry-title td-module-title\">Watch Wunderhorse debut new songs \u2018Kerosene\u2019 and \u2018Promises\u2019 as they kick off 2026 North American tour<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/span><span class=\"td-page-meta\"><\/span><\/article>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"td_block_wrap tdb_single_content tdi_86 td-pb-border-top td_block_template_2 td-post-content tagdiv-type\" data-td-block-uid=\"tdi_86\">\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<p>To mark 25 years since the release of The Strokes\u2018 seminal debut \u2018Is This It\u2018, producer Gordon Raphael has spoken to <em>NME<\/em> about the album\u2019s impact and legacy, as well as the fortunes of the band since and the current guitar rock renaissance.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>READ MORE: The Strokes on the cover: \u201cJournalists kiss your ass to your face and talk shit when they\u2019re writing the article\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u2018Is This It\u2019 was first released on this day (July 30) in Australia back in 2001, before hitting shelves in the UK, Europe and Japan the following month and an eventual October release in the US after delays brought on by the 9\/11 attacks.<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad0 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>In a 10\/10 review of the album, <em>NME<\/em> hailed \u2018Is This It\u2019 as \u201cone of the best and most characterful debut albums of the last 20 years\u201d. The now classic debut from Julian Casablancas and co contained the singles \u2018Hard to Explain\u2019, \u2018Last Nite\u2019 and \u2018Someday\u2019 and kickstarted a global garage rock revolution from the ashes of Britpop, grunge and nu-metal. For better or worse, the stylish and effortlessly cool breeze of the NYC future-icons and the infectious shapes and era-defining lyrics of the album set the template for indie for coming decade, and laid the foundations for the likes of Arctic Monkeys, The Killers and The Libertines.<\/p>\n<p>With the band having freshly released seventh album \u2018Reality Awaits\u2018 last week, The Strokes\u2019 immeasurably influential debut has now turned a quarter of a century old. \u201cIt does feel weird to think that so much time has passed so quickly, but it is absolutely wonderful that people are still listening to it and loving it,\u201d the album\u2019s producer Gordon Raphael told <em>NME<\/em>. \u201cThat\u2019s a miracle.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Strokes 'Last Nite' TOTP (2001) HD\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6u4-zmzNY_A?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Despite going on the reshape the world of music together, Raphael admitted that he \u201creally didn\u2019t understand\u201d them when he first encountered then in New York in the year 2000.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGuitar music was very out of fashion when I saw them. \u2018Why are these people acting like it\u2019s important?\u2019 It was confusing to me,\u201d he said. \u201cOnce I got them in the studio, I thought \u2018This is really cool music\u2019. They just picked the wrong time to do rock because no one was interested. In New York, everyone was talking about drum n\u2019 bass and jungle music. That was the big thing. That was the new trend in these clubs.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad1 id_ad_content-horiz-center\">\n<h5 class=\"taboola-mid-article-title\">Recommended<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI really began loving their music and liking how serious they were about it and how hard they were working \u2013 but I didn\u2019t think the world was going to go back to rock music at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3959737\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3959737\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3959737\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/the_strokes_2002_3.jpg\" alt=\"Julian Casablancas of The Strokes performs at the House of Blues in Las Vegas in 2002 (Photo by Scott Harrison\/Getty Images)\" width=\"1303\" height=\"2000\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3959737\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Julian Casablancas of The Strokes performs at the House of Blues in Las Vegas in 2002 (Photo by Scott Harrison\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Hype soon engulfed the New York indie scene that also gave us the likes of Interpol, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and TV On The Radio. However, these bands were finding their feet and their sound independently from one another in a city that wasn\u2019t quite ready to accept them just yet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese bands were existing separately to each other, and they met in London,\u201d Raphael shared. \u201cI moved to London in early 2002 and all the bands from New York and America \u2013 The White Stripes, Interpol, The Kills, Yeah Yeah Yeahs \u2013 they were coming through Club Metro. London was the glue that made New York seem like it was a scene.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"td-a-ad id_inline_ad2 id_ad_content-horiz-center\"><span class=\"td-adspot-title\">Advertisement<\/span><\/div>\n<p>Having produced the band\u2019s \u2018The Modern Age\u2019 EP, Raphael was well aware of the different type of magic he wanted to bottle with the band. \u201cPro-Tools was coming in and people could make bigger productions so I said, \u2018If you want to do the opposite then go out and play the songs and have that be it. Just play it, I\u2019ll capture it, and we\u2019ll be completely different to these manufactured songs\u2019,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith the album they had more time, so they wanted to make sure everything was as perfect as it could possibly be: every detail done correctly. For young guys in rock \u2019n\u2019 roll, that\u2019s not usual either. It\u2019s usually like, \u2018Oh, just let it slip, it\u2019s just rock \u2019n\u2019 roll\u2019. These guys were really serious about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3959738\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3959738\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3959738\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/the_strokes_2002_1.jpg\" alt=\"Julian Casablanca of The Strokes at the Troubadour in Hollywood in 2002 (Photo by Gina Ferazzi\/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3959738\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Julian Casablanca of The Strokes at the Troubadour in Hollywood in 2002 (Photo by Gina Ferazzi\/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Raphael still fondly remembers the \u201cincredible excitement\u201d of being in and around London in 2001 as the UK were one of the first places to really embrace The Strokes, with clubs and radio stations playing \u2018Hard To Explain\u2019 and \u2018New York City Cops\u2019 \u201cback-to-back\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere was an explosion going on in the UK, but the record wasn\u2019t scheduled to come out in the US until around September 11,\u201d he recalled of the album\u2019s original US release date of September 25. \u201cOf course it was delayed because of 9\/11, and then the tracklisting was changed. I don\u2019t think the US tracklisting was as exciting as the rest of the world\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sensitivity in the wake of 9\/11 attacks saw \u2018New York City Cops\u2019 replaced with \u2018When It Started\u2019 for CD releases in the United States, as a city and a nation was reeling in the face of terror and the dawning of a new age.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNew York was fast asleep in the summer of 2001, and then completely in a sombre, freaked-out mood after the Twin Towers fell,\u201d said Raphael.\u00a0\u201cPeople were in shock. I was in New York on 9\/11, only a couple of miles from the site. I could actually hear it and I could see the people being effected. Everyone was tuned into the news.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo one was talking about music, then all these bands coming through, travelling to London, making a name, and then that was echoing back into the US. \u2018Woah, these bands are getting popular overseas, so we\u2019d better pay attention\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Having been living the music life in bands as a producer for many years already, Raphael suddenly found himself in the eye of a storm and a world-conquering rock movement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTo finally have something that the world was talking about and celebrating was huge,\u201d he admitted. \u201cThe band put my photo in the sleeve along with their own so wherever I went people were like, \u2018Oh, that\u2019s the guy from The Strokes, let\u2019s have him produce us and invite him to a party\u2019. It was actually phenomenal and fun. It was a rock \u2019n\u2019 roll dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Strokes - The Modern Age (Official HD Video)\" width=\"696\" height=\"522\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RzO7IGWGxu8?feature=oembed&amp;enablejsapi=1\" frameborder allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<p>Raphael would go on to produce the band\u2019s 2003 follow-up \u2018Room On Fire\u2018, an album he admitted was \u201cphenomenally good\u201d despite the pressure to match \u2018Is This It\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey had been touring for two years before that, so their musicianship was at a peak that I hadn\u2019t seen before,\u201d said Raphael. \u201cThey were more like Led Zeppelin than some skinny kids in a basement, like they were on the first one. They were really powerful and muscular on their instruments, so I would say that \u2018Room On Fire\u2019 was also a great achievement of music and I\u2019m very happy to be associated with that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He then admitted having something of a \u201cconflict\u201d on their third album, having been initially brought in to produce 2005\u2019s more arena-ready \u2018First Impressions Of Earth\u2018 before being replaced with David Kahne partway through recording.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI kind of never got over that feeling of, \u2018OK, now they\u2019re with somebody else\u2019,\u201d admitted Raphael. \u201cThat wasn\u2019t really my sound any more so it didn\u2019t hit me as much. It wasn\u2019t really a collaboration, but they were moving in their own direction and that was great. They\u2019re artists, they deserved it, they were very cool people, so I gave them kudos but I wasn\u2019t that into the sound after the first two.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then of course came the era that has retrospectively come to be known as \u201clandfill indie\u201c, with the latter half of the \u201900s into the next decade delivering a version of the genre that Raphael argued was clearly much less inspired.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t like it. I moved to London as soon as I could after the release of \u2018Is This It\u2019 because I had opportunities to work there,\u201d he said. \u201cBy around 2004, people were dressing like The Strokes and using the same patterns in the music, but it was all very slick, manufactured, corporate rock. They weren\u2019t calling me to produce that stuff any more. I moved to Berlin right at the start of 2005 because I didn\u2019t feel like there was anything super-infectious happening in the UK indie scene at that point.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRazorlight, Editors and other things were happening. It became very pop, slick and commercial but with The Strokes haircuts.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3959740\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3959740\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3959740\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/the_strokes_2001_1.jpg\" alt=\"The Strokes backstage in California in 2001 (Photo by Anthony PIdgeon\/Redferns)\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1270\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3959740\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The Strokes backstage in California in 2001 (Photo by Anthony PIdgeon\/Redferns)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Speaking to us from LA where he was fresh from a recording session with \u201ca very cool rock band\u201d called The Abomic Toms, Raphael said he was encouraged by the current crop of guitar bands leading something of an understated renaissance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaving lived in Berlin for the 2000s, the 2010s and 2020s, now I\u2019m in the UK again,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is an incredible live guitar band revival post-pandemic. I recorded 27 bands in New York City the last time I went there. That\u2019s incredible. There are more bands in New York than I\u2019ve ever seen before, more than the \u201880s, more than the 2000s, and there are many, many good ones. Also, the regional scenes up in the North of England, in London, in LA, in New York, they\u2019re all popping off but they\u2019re not connected. The media isn\u2019t really paying attention.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I recorded 27 bands, that means there\u2019s a whole host of stuff going on in New York but only New Yorkers know about it. I find that very strange, but it is very gratifying to know that people are back after the pandemic. They don\u2019t just want to sit back and do laptop stuff and go on the internet, they want to go and play shows and hear live music. I think that\u2019s a beautiful thing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So could we see another indie scene big bang moment again like we did with The Strokes?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t know about that,\u201d Raphael replied. \u201cSince the year 2001, music has shifted because of streaming and the fact that it\u2019s free. It\u2019s now competing with a whole lot of other social and entertainment things. I don\u2019t know if music has the same place in culture any more as it has historically. I\u2019m not sure how great music and phenomenal bands fit into today\u2019s cultural landscape. I\u2019d love to see it re-emerge as something that people have to agree upon, but I\u2019m not sure how that\u2019s going to function.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added:\u00a0\u201cThere are people developing beautiful musical ideas and bands. Whether or not it can catch fire and enable them to make a living? I hope so.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And what does Gordon Raphael think of The Strokes\u2019 new album \u2018Reality Awaits\u2019?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m very happy to see the reaction of the world,\u201d he replied. \u201cWhether they\u2019re liking it or not, they\u2019re talking about it. I think Madonna\u2019s record [\u2018Confessions II\u2019] and The Strokes\u2019 record seem to be the talk of the summer, which is very exciting. Both of them deserve it. The Strokes are touring and everyone is raving about how great the shows are, so I\u2019m all for this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018Reality Awaits\u2019 by The Strokes is out now. The band are currently in the midst of a North American tour that will later reach the UK and Europe in October.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>[analyse_source url=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/news\/music\/the-strokes-interview-is-this-it-25-years-gordon-raphael-indie-legacy-future-3959735&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[analyse_image type=&#8221;featured&#8221; src=&#8221;https:\/\/www.nme.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/the_strokes_2002_2.jpg&#8221;] NewsMusic News The Strokes\u2019 \u2018Is This It\u2019 turns 25: Producer Gordon Raphael talks bottling magic and if it could ever happen again The man behind the desk of the NYC icons&#8217; first two records tells us about the &#8220;miracle&#8221; of their debut, the scene that it came from, the &#8220;landfill indie&#8221; that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,78],"class_list":["post-2069131","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nme-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2069131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2069131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2069131\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2069131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2069131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2069131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}