The Strokes' Political Statement at Coachella

0:00It's April 19th. This is Music News Today, driven by AI following the sound in real time. The strokes just wrapped their Coachella Week in two-set with a bold political statement blasting the CIA and U.S. government on a massive screen behind them. As they played their track, oblivious, visuals rolled, showing leaders like Omar Tarihaos, Jocobo Arbins, and Jamie Rodo's Aguilera, all labeled as, victims of CIA overthrows. It hit hard with Martin Luther King, Jr., too, noting a civil trial verdict on his murder, plus footage of destroyed universities in Iran and the Byrne. Last one in Gaza, getting bombed. Last week in at Coachella, they kept the Ed Sharp, too. Frontman, Julian Casablanca's, rocked a t-shirt, swapping Amazon's logo for the word crime, shading Jeff Bezos. He also called out the government's push to auto-register guys, aged 18 to 25, for the military draft, ditching the old self-sign-up system. Fans lost it online,

1:02with posts hailing the montage as a mic drop that might bar the band from Coachella forever. One tweet said they ensured they'd never return, and folks were straight up proud, sharing clips their racked-up views quick. Now they're gearing up for their first album in six years, Reality Awaits, dropping June 26 on cult records in RCA. Recorded in Costa Rica with Rick Rubin, then polished worldwide, it's got a looser vibe per guitarist, Albert Hammond Jr. First single going shopping dropped on cassette to fans, hit live in San Francisco, and kicked off a massive world tour hitting the UK North America. Europe and Japan, first full UK run in over 20 years. With openers like Thundercat engaged the elephant on select dates and stops at London's O2, this feels like the strokes reclaiming their spot. Mixing sharp riffs with real talk that sticks long after the lights fade.