The Strokes Hint at New Material for Upcoming Gigs, Take Twitter Requests

The Strokes, the New York City alt-rock band credited with ushering in the garage-rock revival of the early 2000’s, have finally hinted about the possibility of debuting new music at their upcoming performances via Twitter.

The band, who made waves in the indie music community with their first album Is This It in 2001, have not released new music since 2013’s Comedown Machine, despite the urging of their fans. Frontman Julian Casablancas and lead guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. have since taken on solo projects, with Casablancas leading and touring with a new group called the Voidz and Hammond Jr. releasing an album of his own, entitled Momentary Masters. Listeners have more or less received radio silence from The Strokes regarding new material, with only an occasional festival appearance to tide fans over in the past three years.

However, the tide might be turning. The Strokes recently announced an additional performance to precede their homecoming appearance at Governor’s Ball on June 3, playing Port Chester’s Capitol Theater on May 31 with opener Rey Pila, the Mexican rock band signed to Casablancas’ own independent label, Cult Records. Alongside news of the surprise set, members of the band have taken to Twitter to drum up excitement for the upcoming shows, answering questions and taking requests. When asked if the band might be debuting unreleased music at the festival, Hammond Jr., who has been reticent in the past about acknowledging the possibility of new Strokes’ material, coyly responded, “You’ll just have to wait and see.”

2016 just might be the year impatient Strokes fans get the new music they’ve been waiting for—rumors have been flying around from hints at a new single in March to news that the Strokes had rented out a recording studio in Mexico late last year. The latest tweets from the members have only contributed to the speculation surrounding a potential new album, or at the very least, some new songs. Though disbandment never really seemed in the cards for the Strokes, the members’ side projects and reluctance to re-enter the studio together were definitely sources of concern for die-hard listeners, but it seems that those fears can be temporarily assuaged.

The Strokes’ appearance at Governor’s Ball this year is their first hometown show since headlining the same festival back in 2014. Now, New Yorkers get to see the band at a more intimate venue several days prior – tickets go on sale at noon on Friday, but a pre-sale can be accessed on the band’s website. As for Governor’s Ball, Friday tickets are still available, where music fans can see Beck, Robyn, and finally get their questions about new Strokes material answered.