Blazing off the major success of their debut album Is This It, the New York City-based band The Strokes were deemed the ‘saviors of rock’ after launching the garage-rock genre back into the mainstream. This overnight fame led to such high expectations for their follow-up release, deeming that whatever the band would release next would ultimately decide their fate. In this retrospective review, we are taking a look at The Strokes’ sophomore effort, Room on Fire, 20 years after its release to see if these rockstars were able to overcome the hype and keep the flames high or if they ultimately burnt out like the other byproducts of the movement they had started.

The album opens with the igniting “What Ever Happened?” with its muted guitar strums, pounding snare drum, and Julian Casablancas, the Strokes’ lead singer, delivering his classic gritty, crooning vocals. “I wanna be forgotten, And I don’t wanna be reminded” are the first lyrics heard on this record, and not only does this set the album lyrically (almost every song on Room on Fire deals with romance/relationships), it also sets up the album tonally, with a much angstier sound than this album’s predecessor. This anger can be identified from the immediate success the band gained from the prior release and how the sudden stardom had taken a toll on the members themselves. Becoming the ‘saviors of rock’ overnight came with harsh criticism from opposing sides and the band’s wildness and partying brought even more attention to them. Disguised as a breakup song, this opening track amazingly displays the angsty sound of exhaustion and burnout caused by a failing relationship with not just a person but the media itself.  

If “What Ever Happened?” was the spark, the following track, “Reptilia,” is the explosion. The track opens with bassist Nikolai Fraiture pounding down a solid bassline, pulling the listener in as the sound of guitar amps rev up right before the track explodes, with every member of the band firing on all cylinders. Casablancas lowers the tension in the verses but unleashes his rage with the band on the chorus, letting loose with lyrics such as “Our lives are changing lanes, you ran me off the road” (there’s that anger I was talking about!) 

Room on Fire moves smoothly from track to track, keeping a consistent tone with its angsty sound and lyrics, all regarding relationships. This can also be seen as the album’s most significant flaw. The lack of dynamic in the lyrical content and perhaps being too consistent in sound can lead the album to come off as a bit dull at times. If it wasn’t for the beautiful, sorrowful ballad that is “Under Control” coming after “Meet Me in the Bathroom,” this album could’ve taken an easy nosedive by becoming too monotonous in its sound, especially if you’re flipping this record onto its B-side. 

A highlight to note is that all over this album, guitarist Nick Valensi delivers fantastic guitar solos, displaying an advancement from his efforts on Is This It. From being able to flawlessly transfer the listener from the opening chorus to subsequent verses on the opening track, to be able to match the emotion a track is going for sonically, such as the high-school relationship retrospective “Between Love & Hate,” to even making his guitar sound exactly like a keyboard that Greg Hawkes of The Cars would have used on tracks like the hand-clapping, late-night rendezvous-inspired “12:51” and the persevering “The End Has No End.”   

The album wraps up with the masterful “I Can’t Win,” with the band desperately trying to take a last stand and fan the flames of what’s left of their effort with not just the in-song relationship but the world as a whole. With an insanely catchy guitar riff, they admit a sort of self-defeat and plead their want to pursue their passion for music by pulling a self-aware move, calling out the critics’ and public media’s words in the lyrics: “‘Good try, we don’t like it, Good try, we won’t take that sh*t,’ Oh, I can’t win.”

So the final question remains: Were The Strokes able to overcome the success of their debut? I would say yes, BUT… There’s no doubt that this album can be seen as an identical sibling to Is This It. This follow-up record does have an angrier sound than its predecessor, but there’s no denying that each is a bit too similar lyrically and sonically. Also to note, the band had to start rushing their recording sessions on this album due to a deadline set by the label as they wanted the band to maintain the momentum they gained with their last release, which only made the tension tighter. 

With that, it’s up to personal preference as to which album is superior. Personally, I find the charm of Is This It to be a bit more timeless and endearing, yet any argument for Room on Fire is acceptable. Each has its “Reptilia,” and each has its “The Way It Is.” (Seriously, what is going on with that erratic drum machine and messy vocal delivery during the chorus?) It’s a shame that this band that left such an influential movement in the rock scene could not find a footing after this album’s release, taking seventeen years to do so with their sixth album, The New Abnormal. With that, The Strokes’ Room on Fire is still able to leave a bold impression 20 years after its release, always inviting the listener to come back to dance and sing along with its angsty lyrics and catchy melodies.