Albert Hammond Jr Describes Chaotic Production of The Strokes' 'Angles' Album

In an interview on Rick Rubin’s Tetragrammaton podcast, guitarist Albert Hammond Jr revealed that The Strokes’ 2011 fourth album Angles was recorded three times. The first version, produced by Gus Oberg, was captured live in a rehearsal space and sounded “more Stones‑y,” but the band feared releasing it.

The group later re‑recorded at New York’s Avatar Studios with a producer they eventually did not get along with, working long hours. Only the track “Life Is Simple in the Moonlight,” produced by Joe Chiccarelli, survived from those sessions. Frontman Julian Casablancas was on a solo tour for most of the recordings and added his vocals later, contributing to a fragmented process. Hammond Jr said the final album ended up “flat” and “all over the place” after being over‑polished.