Fans of The Strokes were treated to the live debut of their new single, "Going Shopping" on Monday, April 7, when the group performed at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco.
But the song, off their forthcoming release Reality Awaits, quickly garnered contentious chatter online when it was released on streaming platforms the next day. The recorded version is decidedly AutoTune heavy, especially on the chorus parts.
The consensus has not been positive. But the live rendition of the new song, which came midway through the band's set on Monday night, seemed to rely less on robotic flourishes and it resonated well on stage according to concert-goer comments.
YouTube clips from the show seem to support the positive spin. Julian Casablancas introduced “Going Shopping” by stating “Why Not, it’s already out there, new song!” And it was out there, literally, as the band reportedly mailed cassettes of it to 100 fans the day before as a promotional stunt.
On Youtube, the live performance sounds potent, pretty even, with the band’s signature catchy /punchy guitar parts and singer Casablanca’s wistful vocals conveying a mostly unfettered feel with minimum effects or technical layers. The song has plenty of the melodic flair and effortless cool that made the New York alt-rockers beloved when they broke out in 2001 with their mega-hit album Is This It?
They played five favorites from that game-changing indie sleaze blockbuster including "Hard to Explain," "Someday," "Take or Leave It," and "New York City Cops" (which was replaced with the track "When It Started" on the American version following September 11). They also played the obligatory mainstream breakthrough "Last Nite," proving the song's enduring appeal as a party anthem.
The full set, which also featured four tracks from their debut's follow-up, 2003's Room on Fire ("Reptilia" remains a standout live) and four from their last release, 2020's The New Abnormal, served as a proper re-introduction to the band's chill energy as live performers contrasted by brightly lit retro stage production and dynamic chemistry on stage, all of which still has the mojo to excite adoring, not-so-chill crowds who never miss The Strokes shows.
It remains to be seen if the rest of Reality Awaits (produced by the legendary Rick Rubin, who also worked on their last release) will be as divisive as the first single, but as the band continues to roll out the material on stage —including at Coachella on 4/11 and 4/18— their performance chops and catalog full of hipster classics still conjures a lot of mojo all on its own.
Reality Awaits comes out June 26, 2026.
The Strokes Tour Dates
4.11 & 4/18 - Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Indio, CA
6/12 - Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Manchester, TN
7/19 - Minnesota Yacht Club Festival, Saint Paul, MN
8/8 - Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival, San Francisco, CA
8/14-16 - Summer Sonic 2026, Tokyo/Osaka, Japan
8/22 - Just Like Heaven Festival, Pasadena, CA
10/18 - Shaky Knees Festival, Atlanta, GA
10/20 - Sea.Hear.Now Festival, Asbury Park, NJ
