During the recent publicity campaign for their latest album Angles, it appeared that the future of the band was hanging by a thread, with guitarist Nick Valensi revealing that singer Julian Casablancas had sent his vocals in by email. Despite their plans to start work on a new album straight away, it appears that the wheels have fallen off yet again. Casablancas has revealed that he scuppered the band’s latest writing sessions because he didn’t like the fact that Valensi (who had previously said he had no interest in making a solo record) was intending to use Strokes songs for a solo effort. In a new interview Casablancas says “He wanted to do a solo record of songs we that we arranged together in The Strokes but because we have a contract he wasn’t allowed to do that.”
Still fuming, he added: “I only cancelled the writing sessions because I told him I wanted to be done with this record first. We had a plan for a writing session but we hadn’t finished this record by then. I stuck to my story on that one. Bassist Nikolai Fraiture has recently confirmed by Twitter that the band have cancelled their latest recording plans, which further suggests that the band are about to finally fall apart. Casablancas laments, “It’s hard for me sometimes because I do feel like people if they could would stab me to get to the top,” he reckons.
“I’m kidding of course… that’s why the whole ‘friend’ thing is hard for me. We do interviews and they point the finger at me. They’re my such good buddies that everything is my fault. We should have called the album ‘Frenemies’.” It’s further evidence that all is not well at Casa Del Strokes, and poses the question – will they still exist after current touring commitments are fulfilled? Who wants to bet on separate dressing rooms and transport for the band members on the current tour?
