The Strokes Stage an Epic, Yet Futile, Baseball Battle Against Robots in ‘The Adults Are Talking’ Video

Robots pose a formidable threat to humans — at least that’s what science fiction and the Terminator films have shown us over the years. There are some who urge caution for the future, our rising dependency on technology in everything we do posing a significant risk for our own demise in the years to come … and the new music video from  The Strokes depicts one such epic battle.

Shared on Tuesday, the New York indie/rock band‘s clip for “The Adults Are Talking” was directed by Roman Coppola and finds Julian Casablancas and his band mates waging war on the baseball diamond against a formidable foe of androids.

The baseball action sequences are dark and bleak, much like the Strokes’ chances of beating the robot team … but they try their hardest nonetheless, despite coming up well short of their goal:

Hey, nobody said rapidly improving technology was going to be easy! This may very well predict our future if things stay on track. Or not, who knows?

“The Adults Are Talking” is the opening track on the Strokes’ 2020 album, The New Abnormal, which was released in April (right around the start of COVID-19 lockdown) and marked the band’s first new album since 2013.

The album helped earn the band a Best Rock Album nomination ahead of the GRAMMY Awards in early 2021 — somehow the Strokes’ very first GRAMMY nomination to date.

Click here to pick up The New Abnormal from our Rock Cellar Store.

The New Abnormal packs in classic Strokes-ian elements (such as with the opening track, “The Adults Are Talking”) as well as stylistic curve balls, like “Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus” (which features a synth line eerily reminiscent of the 1990s club jam “This Is Your Night” by Amber that can’t be unheard once you compare the two).

Other highlights include “Selfless,” an elegant number that finds Julian Casablancas hitting some major high notes paired with Albert Hammond Jr.’s steady guitar work, and the groove-oriented “Eternal Summer,” again featuring Casablancas taking up residency in the higher octaves.

Thanks to its blend of straight-ahead indie rock that dabbles in dream-pop with tinges of glam, The New Abnormal has a little for everybody, the end result a consistent entry to the band’s catalog.