The Strokes, who for the past two years have been in sideproject limbo, have had their future questioned after their critically lambasted third album, First Impressions of Earth. With both Albert Hammond Jr. and Julian Casablancas in the news of late, the band thought it would be a good time to clarify its future. The band's website answered the question as directly as humanly possible:

QUESTION: When are The Strokes coming back?

ANSWER: The guys are set to get together and get back at it early 2009.

 By "get back at it," The Strokes mean they'll be recording a new album. Hammond Jr told Planet Sound that the band will put out a new record in 2009, noting that "If we don't make a Strokes record before that, people will think that's the end of us."

Strong words, especially considering the increasing length of time between releases of bands on "extended hiatuses." But The Strokes need to produce an album that reminds the world why it fell in love with the band at the beginning of the deade. I personally think the overall laziness of First Impressions overshadowed the fact that the album's first two tracks, "You Only Live Once" and "Juicebox," were arguably the two best tracks The Strokes have ever recorded. It's too bad they had to acquire the rock savior tag back when that tag was still in vogue.

[NME]