Do you consider yourself to be a Strokes fan? Well, depending on your tolerance for bad news, you may or may not want to keep reading this post. As if it weren’t disheartening enough that rhythm guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. is (allegedly) in rehab, lead singer Julian Casablancas gave an interview that seems to indicate the band is suffering through a dreaded bout of creative differences. Julian, who you’ll recall is about to release his first solo record, told the notorious Fleet Street tabloid The Sun that the band’s fourth record is in a holding pattern because “There is a disagreement [between the Strokes] as to whether the songs are ready. Some of the band think they are and others don’t. I’m somewhere in the middle.â€
Well, that certainly doesn’t bode well for the prospects of a new Strokes record coming out anytime soon. If we were to hazard a random guess as to who wants to noodle with the songs more, we’d probably guess that sonic mastermind Nick Valensi is the one in search of more special Strokes sauce for the songs. However, the band disagreeing about song specifics is not what we’re most concerned about. Julian also told The Sun that “It’s weird with the band, a band is actually a great way to ruin a friendship†and that “apart from when we’re rehearsing, we don’t see each other.†Yikes. Let’s just hope that the boys are able to repair these tiny rifts before they become full-blown fault lines, or else the next Strokes record just might be their last.