tijdloze.rocks

Is This It (soms geschreven met vraagteken achter “it”) is het debuutalbum van de New Yorkse band The Strokes. Het album werd uitgebracht in augustus 2001 (oktober 2001 in de Verenigde Staten) en was het begin van de garage rock-revival. Zowel in de Verenigde Staten als in Europa werd het album een doorslaand succes. Anno 2006 zijn er in de Verenigde Staten 1 miljoen platen verkocht.

Van het album werden de singles Hard to Explain, Last Nite en Someday uitgebracht. De videoclips werden geregisseerd door Roman Coppola, zoon van Francis Ford Coppola. In 2002 werd het album opnieuw uitgebracht met een DVD. Deze bevatte videoclips en een deel van een concert, opgenomen door MTV2. De videoclip van het nummer Someday bevat cameo's van diverse artiesten. The Strokes nemen het in de videoclip in een fictieve aflevering van het spelprogramma Family Feud op tegen de leden van Guided by Voices.

De single New York City Cops staat niet op de Noord-Amerikaanse editie. Dit werd besloten na de aanslagen op het World Trade Center op 11 september 2001. Het refrein van het nummer bevat namelijk de zin “New York City Cops, they ain’t too smart” (New Yorkse agenten zijn niet al te slim). Na de aanslagen besloten de band en het management tot deze actie.

Is This It is the debut studio album by American rock band the Strokes. It was first released on July 30, 2001 in Australia, with RCA Records handling the release internationally and Rough Trade Records handling the United Kingdom release. It was recorded at Transporterraum in New York City with producer Gordon Raphael during March and April 2001. For their debut, the band strived to capture a simple sound that was not significantly enhanced in the studio. Building on their 2001 EP The Modern Age, the band members molded compositions largely through live takes during recording sessions, while lead singer and songwriter Julian Casablancas continued to detail the lives and relationships of urban youth in his lyrics.

After completing the album, the Strokes embarked on a promotional world tour before its release. The album was released progressively to coincide with their tour dates, with it being released in Japan on August 22 and the United Kingdom on August 28. The album's cover photograph was deemed too sexually explicit for the US market, and was replaced there. After the September 11 attacks, the American compact disc release was delayed from September 25 to October 9 and had its track list amended, with the song "New York City Cops" being removed and replaced with the newly written track "When It Started"; however, the American vinyl release still includes the track as a result of its release falling on September 11. Three singles were released from the album: "Hard to Explain", "Last Nite", and "Someday".

Promoted by the music press for its twin-guitar interplay and melodic, pop-influenced sound, Is This It peaked at number 33 on the US Billboard 200 and number two on the UK Albums Chart, going on to achieve platinum status in several countries. The album received widespread critical acclaim, with many critics praising it for its charisma and rhythm, which often referenced the works of 1970s garage rock bands. The release of the album is widely considered to be a watershed moment, and crucial in the reinvention of post-millennium guitar music. It has featured in several publications' lists of the best albums of the 2000s and of all time.