The Adults Are Talking

"The Adults Are Talking" is a song by American rock band the Strokes, the opening track on their sixth studio album, The New Abnormal (2020). It was released to alternative radio as the album's fourth single on November 3, 2020. It was produced by Rick Rubin with music written by all members of the Strokes and lyrics written by the band's singer, Julian Casablancas. It is an indie rock and post-punk song with politically charged lyrics that Casablancas sings with both crooning vocals and falsetto throughout.

"The Adults Are Talking"
Single by the Strokes
from the album The New Abnormal
ReleasedNovember 3, 2020
Recorded2019
StudioShangri-La (Malibu, California)
Genre
Length
  • 5:09 (album version)
  • 4:47 (single version)
Label
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)Julian Casablancas
Producer(s)Rick Rubin
The Strokes singles chronology
"Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus"
(2020)		 "The Adults Are Talking"
(2020)

The Strokes performed "The Adults Are Talking" on Saturday Night Live on October 31, 2020, and a music video for the song, directed by Roman Coppola, was released on December 1. Commercially, the song reached No. 141 in Portugal as well as No. 8 on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart and No. 34 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart.

Composition

"The Adults Are Talking" has been described as an indie rock[1] and post-punk song.[2] It has been called a "classic Strokes track" by multiple writers.[3][4][5] Specific Strokes songs that it has been compared to include "One Way Trigger", particularly due to its usage of a drum machine and digital-sounding guitar riffs,[6] and "Is This It", due to the sound of Julian Casablancas' vocals as well as the song's placement as the album's opener.[7] Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone likened the drum machine beat to the one heard in Joe Jackson's 1982 song "Steppin' Out".[8] Tyler Clark of Consequence of Sound described Fabrizio Moretti's drums as "motorik" and Nikolai Fraiture's bass guitar as "cruising".[5] The song has dueling guitar riffs from Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr. throughout, a style of playing apparent in much of the band's discography.[5][9] Both Valensi and Hammond Jr. also use the pizzicato playing technique throughout.[10] Rachel Aroesti of The Guardian made note of the multiple guitar riff styles featured in the song, saying that they range from "angular rattling to phone-dial chiming to sweetly inquiring riffs that appear to converse with one another".[11]

The lyrics of "The Adults Are Talking" have been described as a "sharp-edged attack on Modern America" by Ross Horton of musicOMH.[12] The Independent's Helen Brown felt that the song was "charged with a tense ennui that proves a perfect fit for the present lockdown", referencing the lockdown put into place in the United States due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[13] On the song, Casablancas swaps between using crooning vocals and falsetto.[10] Similar to other songs on The New Abnormal,[10] "The Adults Are Talking" closes with a 15-second outro of studio chatter leading into the album's following track, "Selfless".[8]

Release

The Strokes debuted "The Adults Are Talking" at a concert on May 13, 2019, at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles, almost a year prior to its release in studio form.[14] The song was also a part of their setlist during their performance at a Durham, New Hampshire, rally for then-US presidential candidate Bernie Sanders on February 10, 2020.[15] "The Adults Are Talking" received its first release in studio form as the opening track on the Strokes' sixth studio album, The New Abnormal, released on April 10, 2020, through Cult and RCA Records.[16] The band performed the song, as well as "Bad Decisions", during the October 31, 2020, episode of Saturday Night Live's 46th season.[17] "The Adults Are Talking" was later released as a radio play single, impacting alternative radio stations, on November 3, 2020.[18]

Music video

The band released a music video for the song on December 1, 2020, after releasing a teaser for it the day prior.[19] It was directed by longtime Strokes collaborator Roman Coppola, who directed four music videos released from Is This It as well a music video for their song "12:51".[20] The video depicts a game of baseball between the members of the Strokes and a team of highly skilled robots. For the video, the band wore custom-designed Strokes baseball uniforms. American musician Beck also makes a cameo appearance in the video as a base coach for the band.[21] In the latter half of the video, a dramatic sequence of events ensues, beginning with Julian Casablancas being hit by a pitch. Afterward, Nikolai Fraiture hits a ball deep into the outfield, bringing Casablancas across the bases to score a run. The camera cuts to the stadium's scoreboard to show the band now losing 56–1 to the robots, but the band go on to celebrate the run emphatically as if they had just won the game.[21][22]

Personnel

Credits are adapted from The New Abnormal liner notes.[23]

Chart performance
Chart performance for "The Adults Are Talking"
Chart (2020–2021) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[24] 10
Canada Rock (Billboard)[25] 49
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[26] 18
Portugal (AFP)[27] 141
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[28] 2
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[29] 31
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[30] 8

References
  1. La Torre, Michael (April 6, 2020). "Advance Review - The Strokes: 'The New Abnormal'". Alt Revue. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  2. Leeson, John (April 13, 2020). "REVIEW: The Strokes - The New Abnormal - 3 stars". The Newcastle Herald. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  3. Pywell, Matty (April 6, 2020). "Album Review: The Strokes - The New Abnormal". Gigwise. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  4. Campbell, Lee (April 6, 2020). "ALBUM REVIEW: The Strokes – The New Abnormal". XSNoize. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  5. Clark, Tyler (April 9, 2020). "The Strokes Reignite on The New Abnormal". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  6. Stubbs, Stuart (April 6, 2020). "The Strokes - The New Abnormal". Loud and Quiet. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  7. Sweeney, Eamon (April 10, 2020). "The Strokes: The New Abnormal review – Pleasantly disappointing". The Irish Times. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  8. Dolan, Jon (April 10, 2020). "The Strokes Heart the Eighties and Sound Like Themselves on 'The New Abnormal'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  9. Campbell, Caleb (April 9, 2020). "The Strokes: The New Abnormal". Under the Radar. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  10. Empire, Kitty (April 11, 2020). "The Strokes: The New Abnormal review – new-found focus". The Guardian. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  11. Aroesti, Rachel (April 10, 2020). "The Strokes: The New Abnormal review – old magic lights fresh sparks". The Guardian. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  12. Horton, Ross (April 12, 2020). "The Strokes – The New Abnormal". musicOMH. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  13. Brown, Helen (April 7, 2020). "The Strokes review, The New Abnormal: Charged with a tense ennui fit for the present lockdown". The Independent. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  14. Strauss, Matthew (May 14, 2019). "Watch the Strokes Perform New Song "The Adults Are Talking"". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  15. Bloom, Madison (February 11, 2020). "The Strokes Debut New Song "Bad Decision" at Bernie Sanders Rally: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  16. "The New Abnormal, The Strokes". Qobuz. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  17. Aubrey, Elizabeth (November 1, 2020). "Watch The Strokes perform 'The Adults Are Talking' and 'Bad Decisions' on 'Saturday Night Live'". NME. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  18. "Future Releases on Alternative Radio Stations". All Access. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  19. Jones, Damian (December 1, 2020). "The Strokes take on robots at baseball in Roman Coppola-directed video for 'The Adults Are Talking'". NME. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  20. Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (December 1, 2020). "Watch the Strokes' New Video for "The Adults Are Talking"". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  21. Blistein, Jon (December 1, 2020). "The Strokes Go to Bat Against a Robot Baseball Team in 'The Adults Are Talking' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  22. Droke, Carolyn (December 2, 2020). "The Strokes Play Baseball Against Cyborgs In Their 'The Adults Are Talking' Video". Uproxx. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  23. The Strokes (2020). The New Abnormal (vinyl sleeve). Cult Records; RCA Records. 19439-70588-1.
  24. "Ultratop.be – The Strokes – The Adults Are Talking" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  25. "The Strokes Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  26. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 20, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  27. "Portuguesecharts.com – The Strokes – The Adults Are Talking". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  28. "The Strokes Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  29. "The Strokes Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  30. "The Strokes Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
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