Indie

The album cover of Is This It by the Strokes captures an era of nostalgic hedonism. Although the band’s catchy guitars and garage-rock leanings made this album an instant classic, its provocative cover was arguably just as impactful. But years on, the casual objectification and sexual provocation of the image speaks volumes about the music and fashion scenes at the time, and just how much they have changed.

With Is This It, their debut album, the Strokes burst onto the music scene with a slouching, drawling rock’n’roll shrug that epitomized the frenetic nostalgia of the early 2000s. The time was ripe for the scratchy, post-punk influenced guitars and throwback basslines of the Strokes, together with their tousled hair and don’t-care attitude.