The Strokes Releasing New Album in March But May Not Tour

Although The Strokes have remained fairly mum about work on their upcoming fifth studio album, bassist Nikolai Fraiture came forward last week after a fan, through Twitter, urged him to speak with BBC Radio 1 personality Zane Lowe.

Fraiture spoke minimally about the album, titled Comedown Machine, itself but reported, instead, that the vibe between all members has been far more positive this time around.

Recording began, he revealed, after they finished touring for Angles, with the band addressing leftover and new material. Confirming earlier reports, Fraiture explained The Strokes spent time at New York recording studio the Electric Lady but also had off and on sessions before.

What’s different than when the band approached Angles is how they recorded. After taking a break, The Strokes went to record Angles, with all but frontman Julian Casablancas in the studio. At the time, Casablancas recorded his vocals separately. Now, all five members worked together, and they all have a more positive outlook this time around. He explained: "It's kind of funny that new music doesn't feel as natural as it used to but for us, posting it when it is done feels like that is the way it should be done. When you make music you go up down, sometimes you feel strong and sometimes you feel scared. Right now, we just finished the album and I feel good about it and the atmosphere in the band. Hopefully it continues."

However, although an album will be out on March 25, Fraiture did not seem certain if the band will tour. Currently, no live dates have been set.