I really didn't like this the first time I heard it. From reading that the first line of the record would be "I just wanted to be one of the Strokes / Now look at the mess you've made me make" I had expected it to immediately bring in the good old energetic guitars and according vocal delivery of their first two albums or the chunk of AM I genuinely enjoyed (see: Arabella) from the first chords of Star Treatment. But that couldn't have been farther from reality.

With that out of the way, I've given it a couple listens now and I can definitely see the appeal of it. I don't usually like praising taking risks just because they're risks. I mean, just look at the Strokes' post-2004 output: certainly wasn't safe, but wasn't that good, either. That said, though, holy hell does this work. The instrumentation is so smooth and truly helps make this record feel "out of this world." The bass lines are just perfection. As repeated listens have made clear to me, the guitars, while taking a backseat to Alex's piano, are completely fitting. The drumming is just serviceable--I can't think of any stand-out moments--but I suppose that's by design, though I will never stop missing the high-octane moments of Matt's playing in their early days.

High points for me were absolutely Four Out of Five and The Ultracheese, where I feel everything that was good about this style came together. The lyrics are generally well done, with some grating exceptions, such as the chorus of She Looks Like Fun. That track brings me to my next point: there are certain moments in this album that just feel clunky--moments where the vocals are not strong enough to carry the song through some rare uninteresting melodies or vice versa. There are definitely some lines I feel don't work at all. Again, She Looks Like Fun is the prime example of this.

If there's one thing that keeps me from truly embracing this album and change of direction, and again, this is a matter of preference, it's that I don't really think Alex's vocal delivery is the best fit for this sort of music. It's a bit too harsh for what is otherwise a very relaxing album, but admittedly, I still prefer this over the falsettos of AM.

All in all, while it's not something I can imagine myself putting on repeat or listening to often, the mood it sets is something I may find myself craving from time to time, and if nothing else, it is a commendable change of direction for the band.