Pioneering New York rock band The Strokes announced last week the release of a brand new EP called Future Present Past and shared lead track, "OBLIVIUS." It is the band's first new material since their 2013 fifth album, Comedown Machine.
Currently streaming on Spotify, the four-song collection is set to be released worldwide this Friday, June 3 via the Strokes' lead singer Julian Casablancas' own record label, Cult Records. In addition to "OBLIVIUS," the EP contains the songs "Drag Queen," "Threat of Joy" and drummer Fabrizio Moretti's remix of "OBLIVIUS."
Comedown Machine fulfilled the band's longtime contract with major label RCA Records. It is yet to be announced if further full-lengths from the Strokes will be similarly issued via Casablancas' imprint or if the band will sign a new contract with a major.
Over the past few years, the band members' relationships with each other were reportedly on shaky ground -- especially during the period of the band's 2011 comeback LP, Angles. Now, the Strokes are said to be back on good terms. Casablancas explained to Noisey the group's recent armistice:
"Here's the thing, the Strokes, the relationship is good now," he explains. "FYF [Festival in 2014] was kind of a moment where for once things were cool for me, but that was very recently. So I'm trying to do stuff to keep it alive, work on it, give it a chance."
One point of contention that the band's instrumentalists (Moretti, guitarists Nick Valensi, Albert Hammond, Jr. and bassist Nikolai Fraiture) previously took with Casablancas was his tight control of songwriting on their first two records, Is This It and Room on Fire. In appeasement, the singer loosened up the process to allow contributions from all members:
"[On Comedown Machine] I maybe wasn't kind of as iron-fisty as I had been in the past, but on purpose, because that created all these issues. I think it's important for someone to -- whether or not I think it's better -- for someone to have their say. I'm still writing a lot of parts and songs and we're playing together, so it's not like we're mailing each other songs and that we never see each other."
Below, listen to "80s Comedown Machine" from Comedown Machine.
