The Strokes’ Albert Hammond Jr announces new solo album

The Strokes’ Albert Hammond Jr has announced a new solo album ‘Melodies On Hiatus’ and shared lead single ‘100-99’. Check it out below.

The LP marks the fifth solo album for the guitarist and songwriter, following on from his 2018 release ‘Francis Trouble’. It is set for release on June 23 and is available to pre-order here.

‘Melodies On Hiatus’ was co-written with Simon Wilcox and features collaborations from artists including Steve Stevens, Arctic Monkeys‘ drummer Matt Helders and Rainsford. Spanning 19 tracks, the album marks Hammond Jr’s longest release to date and will come with a series of visual aids that connect the tracks.

“It’s sprawling but interconnected in a special kind of way, and we wanted to maintain that visually as well,” said directors Angela Ricciardi and Silken Weinberg of the upcoming music videos. “The five videos we made for ‘Melodies on Hiatus’ take place in a series of rooms all within one larger space, different scenes that string together one very long night.”

Today (April 4) also marks the release of the album’s lead single, ‘100-99’, which features American rapper, GoldLink. The track also makes up one of the five music videos, directed by Ricciardi and Weinberg.

According to Hammond Jr, the track was something he wanted to work on for a long time, and was inspired by his love of hip-hop.

“I grew up listening to 90s hip-hop, and I would always gravitate towards the melodic hooks in the songs I heard on the radio, specifically anything Dr Dre was producing or rapping on,” he said. “[To] work with a rapper over a beat and guitar part I wrote… it’s really exciting that I was able to do it with GoldLink.”

The LP also sees the multi-instrumentalist team up with Tony Hoffer (Beck, Air) and Dave Cooley (Paramore, Tame Impala) who respectively mixed and mastered the album. Find the full tracklist below.

1. ‘100-99’ feat. GoldLink
2.’ Downtown Fred’
3. ‘Old Man’
4. ‘Darlin’’
5. ‘Thoughtful Distress’ feat. Matt Helders & Steve Stevens
6. ‘Libertude’
7. ‘Memo of Hate’
8. ‘Home Again’
9. ‘I Got You’
10. ‘Caught by Night’
11. ‘Dead Air’
12. ‘One Chance’
13. ‘Remember’ feat. Rainsford
14. ‘818’
15. ‘Fast Kitten’
16.’ I’d Never Leave’
17. ‘Never Stop’
18. ‘False Alarm’
19. ‘Alright Tomorrow’ feat. Rainsford

Earlier this year, Hammond Jr spoke candidly about the future of The Strokes – saying that they may never split up and could potentially continue for another two decades.

“I wouldn’t have thought about it a long time ago – and these are the kind of things you never know – but I could totally see us actually just not stopping,” he told WKCR’s The Shaky Experience.

“That doesn’t mean that we’re just playing big shows,” he continued. “There’s just something that feels like that’s what we’re here to do. And we’re not really gonna do anything else. I can just see us being older and doing.”

The rock veterans are set to play as part of this year’s All Points East festival in August alongside Yeah Yeah Yeahs in London’s Victoria Park. Find ticket details here.

Other artists set to headline include Dermot Kennedy, HAIM and Jungle, while Stormzy will also be hosting his own ‘This Is What We Mean Day’ at the festival.