Phrazes For the Young could easily be seen as a stopgap record before the release of The Strokes’ fourth album, long promised, but as yet nowhere to be seen. Casablancas, however, has more ambitious aims for his solo outing, “attempting to capture the catchiness of modern music but while achieving the power and seriousness of classical music”.

However, classical influences on this album are hard to find within the large pool of contemporary influences expertly combined into a collage of beefy sound.

From the 80s synth-pop pastiche of ‘11th Dimension’, to the lues balladry of ‘Ludlow St.’ accompanied by brightly tripped claps and facetious banjo solo, this is a studio album in the purest sense. Yet with the sophisticated production often covering up the excessive simplicity of song construction, Casablancas makes you wonder whether he is just treading water before the Strokes return.