‘One Way Trigger’ is an indication of The Strokes’ intentions to explore an almost entirely new direction with their fifth studio album Comedown Machine. The single strays far away from the indie rock sound listeners are accustomed to and seems to be passing the lime-light away from guitarists Nick and Albert, and towards lead singer Julian. However, this does not mean the track does not yield good results.
The overall sound is an upbeat and vaguely 80’s inspired fusion of indie rock and electronica, gifted with a catchy continuous melody and impressive vocals. Casablancas dominates with a unique tenor voice and these shifting vocals make up for a somewhat distinct lack of guitar. The band are, however, remaining within their comfort zone in terms of lyrics, depicting a seemingly hopeless social wanderer unable to achieve anything concise, posing question after question: “won’t you understand?”. These lyrics live up to The Strokes’ ability to create a character we aren’t necessarily meant to like, but can relate to on some level. In general ‘One Way Trigger’ is an exciting single for me, simply because it teases an album possibly influenced by Julian Casablancas’s excellent electronic solo album, while still holding The Strokes’ own originality at heart.
7/10
