Is This It: The Never-Ending Rise and Fall of the Strokes (and Rock ‘n’ Roll) Hardcover – September 8, 2026

From an acclaimed music critic and author, an in-depth analysis of the rise and fall of rock n' roll through the lens of one of the best albums of the 21st century—The Strokes' Is This It.   In 2001, The Strokes broke into the indie alt-rock scene with their debut album Is This It, a work that was supposed to “save” rock music from the evils of nü-metal and teen pop.   It did not.   Despite the album’s countless accolades and acclaim from critics and fans alike, it failed to break into the mainstream like Nevermind did a decade before, and the band never reached as wide an audience as they’d hoped. But then why is it that no other rock band from the 21st century has captured the mystique of The Strokes? And how did a band defined by their repeated failure gain such a transcendent and enduring allure?   In Is This It: The Never Ending Rise And Fall Of The Strokes (And Rock 'n' Roll), music critic and author Steven Hyden provides keen insight into The Strokes’ tumultuous longevity by turning a socio-cultural and critical lens on their entire career, as well as the careers of their contemporaries: The Killers (more successful but less cool), Kings Of Leon (the southern Strokes), The White Stripes (their friendly rival), The National (the tortoise to The Strokes’s hare), and more. Hyden uses The Strokes’ classic album Is This It as a vehicle for examining rock’s radically changing role in pop culture over the last twenty-five years, and explores how while rock music may rise and fall, it—much like The Strokes—will never die.   Read more