Under Cover of Darkness

VINYL FORMAT. The lead single from the first new Strokes record in five years barrels into the bar with "Return to Form" written on its forehead. "Under Cover of Darkness" takes the basic elements of their sound, breaks it down, builds it back up and expands it: the skinny-tie boogie bounce of "Last Nite," wave after wave of cute and sharp interlocking guitar, and a grand, gaping chorus where Julian Casablancas torments his vowels like he's got them trapped in his secret basement laboratory. The band members even throw in tricky tempo changes and a weird, slow breakdown just to show us they've been woodshedding. "I've been all around this town/Everybody's been singing the same song for 10 years," Casablancas observes. So the Strokes give us that same old song one more time, primed and polished for a new age. – Rolling Stone