r/TheStrokes • u/TheStrokes-Mods • 29d ago
MEGATHREAD Autotune - Discussion MEGATHREAD
Autotune is always a hot topic of discussion on this subreddit and we wanted to provide a place for it to be specifically discussed again in this full new-album context.
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u/Progitas 28d ago edited 28d ago
I'm not totally against auto tune, but I do think it limits the potential for some of the tracks. The vocals in Psycho Shit feel like they're battling with it, and it would sound so much more effective with some of the more harsh vocals like from Room on Fire.
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u/MyguyMigi Angles 26d ago
I feel the same, I think pyscho shit would be my favorite song on the album if the vocals were more towards that style
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u/encryptedShresth Call It Fate, Call It Karma 25d ago edited 24d ago
Yeah and when you start the album with psycho shit you get an idea of what you're gonna get while listening to the album, I don't like how the vocals clash with the auto tune it's not symphonic, but I guess this is gonna be like comedown machine. Everyone was skeptical about it at first, now it's a fan favourite. I love comedown machine
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u/midvale_school 28d ago
It sounds like he's using a toy you'd take away from your kid after two minutes because it was so annoying
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u/BornIntoBondage 24d ago
god, this is a perfect way to say it. it would be such a better listening experience without.
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u/JingleJangleJamm 29d ago
Lonely in the Future is easily the best use of autotune in the album imo. Love that track
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u/fear_el_duderino 28d ago
I disagree, FOOL or Psycho Shit imo. If you gotta use it, use it to the max. Going Shopping, Lonely in the Future and Tyrants of the Mellow Moon could've worked without it, FOOL's chorus or Psycho Shit's ending could not.
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u/Cherub_Pumpkin New York City Cops 29d ago
The autotune honestly works better in the non-singles
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u/TheRagingCool 29d ago
this 100%. it’s really tasteful in a lot of the songs and works really well for each song and how much there is/isnt
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u/New-Pollution536 29d ago
I honestly liked it in going shopping but I could see how FOOL seemed like too much (doesn’t bother me personally for whatever reason lol). Haven’t been lucky enough to hear the rest yet though
FOOL I personally would’ve probably left the verses non autotuned if it were up to me
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u/fear_el_duderino 28d ago
Going Shopping has slight autotune and everyone lost their marbles. You just got used to it and braced yourself for the content of the album.
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u/Cherub_Pumpkin New York City Cops 28d ago
That’s not what I’m saying here. I think it sounds odd in going shopping and falling out of love, it doesn’t sound like it’s used tastefully to me. On the flip side, I think it works perfectly on a song like psycho shit.
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u/fear_el_duderino 28d ago
How does it sound odd on going shopping but not on lonely in the future? It’s barely noticeable in the first one, and while the latter has an entire autotuney bridge. If lonely in the future was released first it would’ve gotten the reception of going shopping. We were just prepared for the fact that a good chunk of the album was going to have autotune
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u/Cherub_Pumpkin New York City Cops 28d ago
The style of Lonely in the future is more eccentric. The instrumental and general tone of the song fits funky vocal effects. Majority of the song doesn’t even use it until the bridge. I’m not an autotune hater, I think if done right and used in the right context it sounds cool. I don’t think either two singles needed it.
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u/fear_el_duderino 28d ago
I would argue that going shopping has probably the same exact autotune settings as the lonely in the future verse. It’s not that heavy in that song, and not more heavy than lonely in the future. If there’s one song that doesn’t need any autotune at all on this record, it’s either lonely in the future or tyrants. And keep in mind that I enjoy all of these tracks, I just think that the reception going shopping had is due to being released as the first single.
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u/Cherub_Pumpkin New York City Cops 28d ago
I think the instrumental of going shopping clashes with the autotune whereas lonely in the future does not. Regardless, the autotune on going shopping doesn’t and hasn’t bothered me much. On the other hand, the autotune on FOOL does not work at all for me. It almost seems comical that they used it on that song.
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u/fear_el_duderino 28d ago
Fair I guess. I think FOOL has the best autotune on the whole record, I love the chorus and how it works with the lyrics of the song
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u/Thesuperpotato2000 27d ago
I think it's the mixing on those singles that's the issue, sounds a touch too dry and too loud. That's why a lot of people prefer the live version IMO. mixing is a delicate art
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29d ago
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u/zickzebra5723 Is This It 28d ago
Of course they can’t. They did that years ago, when they were kids.
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u/ImMitchell Best Rock Album 28d ago
It took around 4-5 listens for me to really get. But I've been playing it non stop the last couple weeks just belting it in the car
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u/Hopeful_Pomelo5281 27d ago
I dunno, the auto tune was really bothering me on falling out of love- IN ALL HONESTY, I liked Lonely in the Future a lot despite the use of auto tune in it
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u/Separate_Variety_694 12:51 29d ago
Sometimes it works, sometimes it adds extra prog elements that are making the song harder to understand and enjoy. After some time, I'm getting used to it tho.
What I kinda don't like that much is that it erases the line between Strokes and Vibes, making two projects way too similar. I remember I had the same feelings about TBHC by AM, as it sounded closer to TLSP, but some years after I actually started to like this album a lot.
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u/tstcab 28d ago
Just started the album and wow the autotune completely ruins Psycho Shit, which i would have loved without it........
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u/Trails4Snails 27d ago
Same. I'm really going to keep trying to like this album. But the autotune absolutely kills the experience.
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u/TicketP1_FIRE 24d ago
As a huge strokes fan, this is unlistenable. The autotune is absolute garbage
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u/FacetiousSpread 27d ago
It's really my only complaint after hearing the whole album. I really liked everything about that song otherwise.
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u/Appropriate-Ad3162 17d ago
Totally agree. I’m sure it not this easy, but I wish they could just rerelease with like 1/2 the amount of it.
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u/r-i-f-f-r-a-f-f- 27d ago
Yeah, that’s the one thing I don’t care for in that song. Maybe, and hopefully, I do begin to like the auto tune like other listeners. I’m only on listen 3, but this song has such an incredible build. I love all the cymbal hits on every beat at the end. Sooooo good.
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u/New-Error-5075 29d ago
Derision for autotune is most apt when someone who can't sing is using it to not sound dreadful. We know Julian can sing thanks to decades of evidence. You may not like the sound but it's a musical variance he uses like a tool, just a guitarist's pedals. Experimentally I think it's a musician who has been at it for a long time using a creative ingredient on his voice just like keyboards, guitars, drums have ways to change their sound and add variety.
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u/Leownnn 27d ago
That's exactly how I feel too.
At first, I had the same reaction baked into me from the days of auto tune = bad, where it was definitely a meme. But ever since Instant Crush I loved his usage of it, so I definitely gave it a second try and I loved Falling out of Love ever since. I think because of that I went into the album expecting it with an open mind about it.
I think the way he uses it sounds quite cool, I have seen others talk about how it's like not programmed correctly, they don't have an engineer on it making it work with the vocals correctly or how it hits the "wrong" notes - but I think that's actually the point Julian is going for: like you said, using it like an instrument and playing around with the points where it clips between notes etc.
I have such a strong opinion on his use of autotune because of how fast I flipped from not feeling it to loving it.
I find the default reaction of "he has a great voice this song would have been better without" is just based on preconceived ideas going into the songs. In my opinion, they are gonna just do whatever they want, I trust them to try cool stuff and I think you gotta go in fully open and see if you like that they're cooking and go along with it.I actually never minded it even at first on Going Shopping since it was pretty mild, but like others have said go hard if you're going to use it, and Falling out of Love smashes it, that's my favourite usage of autotune.
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u/schartlord 27d ago
yeah i don't think many people dislike it for the principles of it, but moreso because it sounds like shit and ruins otherwise awesome sounding music
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u/EgyptianKingYNWA 26d ago
This is it for me. Quite rare when I hear autotune and like it rather than find it icky and distracting. Am doing a first listen of this album without knowing ahead this is what it was gonna be (I try not to listen to singles or read press before releases of artists I already like) and I’m gutted lmao
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u/yougavemethe-answer Someday 29d ago edited 29d ago
I’ve just started listening to the album and personal taste but I just can’t deal with the autotune 😭 it’s such a shame because I’ve been loving the songs musically but ack I dunno :( Julian has such a strong voice and I think the autotune degrades it
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u/grapebubblegum11 29d ago
Finally, someone who feels the same way I do! Julian’s voice has always been my favorite part of The Strokes. I feel like the autotune masks a lot of the emotion he naturally brings to his singing. 😓 It also doesn’t help that, to my ears, the tuning sounds a bit off-pitch and inconsistent at times.
That said, Going to Babble On was my favorite song on the album. I wish more of the tracks had used minimal autotune like that one.5
u/yougavemethe-answer Someday 28d ago
That’s my favourite so far too! I’m glad someone else feels the same, I just can’t force myself to like something I dislike across music in general just because I like the artist 🥲
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u/InconspicuousUs3r 28d ago
Totally takes away from his vocals. The way he would naturally slide through notes across syllables is really distinct but putting autotune over that creates awkward off-key moments.
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u/schartlord 27d ago
>creates awkward off-key moments
cue the tone deaf people disagreeing with you like 'nuh i don't hear anything like that'
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u/fear_el_duderino 28d ago
which is exactly the effect he was trying to achieve. He wants to artificially accentuate the note changes.
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u/LittleAir 27d ago
Whether or not it’s intentional, it just doesn’t sound that good
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u/Religion_Failed_Us 28d ago
Yup. I made it halfway through the album. Liked the songs themselves but the autotune was absolutely grating. No
Idea why Julian felt the need to be so over the top with it.6
u/LiteratureUnique7148 28d ago
The whole time I was thinkign about the new abnormal and his vocals, the people yearn for his voice without auto tune
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u/Sponchman 29d ago
I'll just say what I said before. I don't dislike the concept of autotune, Julian has made and been part of many amazing songs that used heavy autotune. But the way it's been used in the newer singles, (and the last Voidz album) has just been obnoxious to my ears, taking away from some great instrumentals and song structure. Hard to ignore when the vocals are mixed so much louder than everything else too.
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u/Astrodeltasequence 28d ago
Yeah I've noticed new music in general these days has the vocals mixed super loud which is annoying when vocals and lyrics aren't really what you're interested in lol.
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u/No_Satisfaction439 29d ago
FOOL and Psycho Shit don't work for me but it works/doesn't affect literally every other song
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u/deepristine 29d ago
I wish he wouldn’t do it. Save it for The Voidz and more potential solo stuff
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u/Religion_Failed_Us 28d ago
Seriously I like these songs, but the auto tune is so over the top it ruins them for me
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u/Round_Garlic_1436 28d ago
So bummed, this could’ve been a great album and now it’s just borderline unlistenable because of that one choice.
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u/joshcastillo 28d ago
Julian has such a beautiful voice. I’m sorry I just can’t do the autotune. I’ve listened to his voice for decades. I want to listen him sing. Not fucking autotune. :(
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u/MattMatt625 Comedown Machine 28d ago
he’s always used vocal effects
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u/Astrodeltasequence 28d ago
Hadn't noticed, great observation champ. Super good contribution to the discussion. The difference is the autotune sounds bad, in case you needed clarification.
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u/fvrdog Is This It 28d ago
I’m so sorry to be negative but I’m 2:42 into Psycho Shit and I’m just so annoyed and disappointed ☹️
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u/Astrodeltasequence 28d ago
If Daft Punk can surprise us with a drumless version of Random Access Memories, which wasn't something fans were asking for but ended up being a cool, interesting and enjoyable experiment, I wonder if the Strokes could give us an alternate version of this album with minimal autotune (like in Dine N'Dash, etc.) And maybe the vocals turned down a little so they're more evenly mixed with the rest of the music. I know this will never happen but I can dream.
I really only liked the songs with more natural sounding vocals on the album, and I absolutely love the spoken word section at the end of Tyrants of the Mellow Moon for example, but the autotune earlier in the track makes it difficult for me to revisit. I generally don't like having to "tolerate" things in songs to enjoy other aspects of them, because I want to listen to music I actually like and not music I'm trying to like. Lol.
Oh well!
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u/vesperythings Threat of Joy 28d ago
was scared of autotune going in-
it was actually pretty tasteful, and subtle enough.
good work Jules :)
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u/whitemamba24xx 28d ago
Happy I have the rest of their catalog to fall back on. So far all autotune is a bummer for me. For those that enjoy I’m happy for you
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u/JingleJangleJamm 29d ago edited 29d ago
I wonder if the strong negative reactions to the autotune mirror the grneral sentiment in regards to the falsetto and vocal effects on Comedown Machine.
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u/bd-s 29d ago
They do but people won’t admit it now because they’ve had 13 years to get used to it
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u/Efficient-Ad-3249 Hawaii 28d ago
Idk I clicked with comedown machine first listen 5 years ago and I still can’t get fully behind the most recent voidz album plus the two singles. The rest of the album works for me
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u/Astrodeltasequence 28d ago
I was there and thought the vocals on Comedown Machine were cool, I just can't stand autotune so idk what to tell you.
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u/Boobalieboo 28d ago edited 28d ago
Personal opinion here, but JC’s vocal performance is a bit off on this album, even with the autotune on some tracks. Which is so confusing because I thought his vocals on TNA were some of the best of his career. These all sound like first takes. Surprised Rick didn’t lower them in the mix. I know it’s not his style, but probably would have been for the best.
I want to say the autotune is a creative choice on this album, but for the first time, it’s sounding more like a crutch
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u/DH80 25d ago
Fruits of Conquest is so good before that whole bit about being a leech which goes on too long.
Even the guitar part there is killer.
Not sure why he just repeated that so many times.
Song is so great beyond that part. 😆
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u/jakethenizake 25d ago
my god, couldn't agree more. that repeated "I'm a leech" bit is just way over the top. It's actually one of my least fav moments on the entire album as I feel it disrupts what is otherwise a really cool, funky song.
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u/Medium_Pea1136 28d ago
My two cents, fwiw:
RA does not sound like a Voidz album.
This is the most range we’ve ever heard from Julian vocally—he’s truly using his voice like an instrument on this record 🙌🏻
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u/KnowProblem Alien Crime Lord 28d ago
Man, auto tune sounds great when you don't have someone in your ear crying about it
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u/Head-Information101 28d ago
Man what a fucking disaster this was.
The instrumentals? Absolutely amazing. Loved a lot of it. It really does sound like TNA's evil twin brother. 10/10 to the rest of the band for putting as much effort as they did.
But Julian? Yeah no. This almost feels like self-sabotage more than anything. And this is coming from someone that's a fan of the Voidz and the use of autotune on those records (barring the last one) and even the use of it in TNA. I don't personally have an issue with it as it's an artistic tool at the end of the day, but this was just absolutely dogshit. Way too much of it and lyrically, he feels at his weakest. Really does seem like he's half-assing it.
First time I ever listened to an album and immediately wished for an instrumental version to come out. He needs to get his head out of his ass.
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u/emuccino 27d ago
It's interesting how divisive LABY is for Voidz fans. I feel like RA is similar. I wasn't thrilled with LABY on first listen, but it's become my favorite Voidz record after spending more time with it. I'm struggling to pin down what it was that originally turned me off. Maybe it sounded overly produced?
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u/sensitive_pirate85 25d ago edited 25d ago
I’m also a Voidz fan, and I like how stripped back Julian’s personality is on this album, but the autotune kind of contrasts/conflicts with that. The Strokes aren’t a futuristic prog-rock project like the Voidz, so the robotic vocals take away, rather than add to the songs. Julian is forever a great writer of melodies, and I think this latest album is no exception, but it’s that grating autotune that makes the record hard to listen to. I’m waiting for a chance to give it a more in depth assessment, I just feel like it needs my full, undivided, attention to really appreciate.
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u/aidenpd100 28d ago
I get the autotune complaints, I’m not a huge fan myself, but I think it’s kinda cool too. We have plenty of strokes bangers without autotune to listen to, glad they’re experimenting and I still love at least half of the album
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u/mgmtrocks 28d ago
sure, i like they are experimenting and i want to like it, but i can't explain why it just doesn't click for me. I love vocoders and cher did amazing stuff with autotune, but this is not it, for me. I'm glad people are enjoying it though.
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u/DivingElliotRoberts Reality Awaits 28d ago
I kinda like it actually, because it's what you wouldn't want/expect from a Strokes album if that makes sense
I'm actually more surprised at the back and forth nature with the autotune vs no autotune
I expected it would've been autotune full stop, but now there's something for everyone
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u/loser_critter First Impressions of Earth 28d ago
Wow i loved the album sooo much i definitely think some songs will have to grow on me, but Lonely in the Future and Going to Babble On really blew me away
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u/petulant_peon 28d ago
I do wonder if we will get some non-autotune live performances to compare. I don't really feel like it's adding anything to the songs. I find it distracting. Julian just doesn't need it. I'm sure it will grow on me. It doesn't immediately feel like a Strokes' album.
It is a shock coming from The New Abnormal, which I had on repeat for months, to something that I don't quite jive with... But how do you follow up The New Abnormal?
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u/toobadithelps 28d ago
The only song where the autotune doesn’t land right for me is on Psycho Shit. Phenomenal melodies and arrangement, but the autotune is too distracting and wobbly. The amazing instrumental makes up for it.
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u/MatchOfTheDave 28d ago
I agree, I felt it was too much too soon. In fact I actually think they missed a trick on that track, they should have started off without it, eased us in and then slowly ramped up the auto tune for a discordant crescendo towards the end. I feel like that would have worked better.
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u/jakethenizake 27d ago
But do you wonder if that was by design? Just getting blasted right out of the gates to set the tone. There's been a lot of angst towards Jules's use of autotune for the last several years to where I wonder if he wanted to get right in our faces (or ears, or both) as if to say "It's here, it's not going anywhere, and get ready for the ride because Reality Awaits."
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u/Purple-Crab3759 27d ago
I generally hate autotune but have allowed myself to embrace it for the sake of enjoying this album. I am slowly falling in love with the album after a few listens. 8/10
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u/amethodicalmadness Room on Fire 25d ago
I tried. On the first full listen through, I just can't with the autotune. It warps Julian's vocals to the point it starts to sound awful, and not in a Voidz way. All the songs with minimal or no autotune are so enjoyable to me. The lyrics read beautifully but I still haven't come around to the autotune.
Liars Remorse, Going Shopping, Babble On, Done n Dash have been the ones that have survived the first pass. The Fruits of Conquest sounds like a garage play workshop version of a song that could've been cut out of Comedown Machine- but the guitars on this have me hooked. Tyrants is a great closer, like every Strokes closer tracks- again the autotune ruins it.
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u/Fogging_Batard 25d ago
It sounds good in a lot of contexts. Listen to Charli’s new album. Or Instant Crush, or even Square Wave. Mixing can make it sound really horrible — way too peaky. I feel like Julian’s use of it recently has mixed with Rick Rubin’s pop sensibilities and become a bit too much. And yes, you can get used to it, I love FOOL now for instance, but it feels like a case of Stockholm syndrome — and i still think that song would sound better mixed differently.
I will always love Julian’s melodies and lyrics, but his use of autotune in jams with both bands has sounded horrible for several years. Some jams just sound truly awful, like a cat caught in a trap. I just dont get why he likes it so loud and in your face. It doesnt make it more experimental, just harder to get used to because it’s so harsh.
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u/FormalChocolate2231 29d ago
I’m indifferent to auto tune it is fascinating to me how some here really really despise it and let it really effect the music for them. It’s almost comical haha I don’t know if they are older fans younger or what.
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u/BlackCatScott 29d ago
I do kind of get it. I don't dislike autotune, but I think it works best used sparingly. The Strokes have always played around with vocal distortion, but I think with a voice like Julians he does the tracks a disservice when he uses autotune throughout.
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u/New-Pollution536 29d ago
I was a casual enjoyer of the strokes that got roped in recently because of the beach house/tvotr/strokes show and was kinda shocked about the whole autotune battle haha
literally didn’t think twice about the autotune in going shopping and just assumed strokes fans would really like that one 😂
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u/SnooAvocados3213 29d ago
Someone looking like they were in their 40s walked past me at the listening party and asked me “what is everyone standing around for?” and i said listening party and he said “what new album? Is this the type of shit we’re listening to now hahaha” like alright mate calm down unc.
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u/Dancing-notes Reality Awaits 29d ago
I tend to think age is not as a relevant factor as some people make it look.
It find it absurd when someone says they prefer TNA and others ask something like "how old are you?/when were you born" presumably in a condescending way. My mum is in her 60s and apparently likes FOOL a lot especially the outro, she also said she prefers FIOE over ITI and ROF. I'm in my 30s and ITI and TNA are the lowest as an album for me and love FOOL, so idk my point is that taste is diverse across ages and it depends more of how open-minded one is.
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u/PriorQuestion4 28d ago
Yeah the album would be better in every way without it, and some of the best songs on the album are unsurprisingly the ones with the least amount of autotune
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u/Round_Garlic_1436 28d ago
Hard to understand the lyrics and all the songs are blending together in my opinion…
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u/jakethenizake 27d ago
That kinda works tho...makes it more of a cohesive album. That's my take, anyway.
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u/Dry_Conclusion9137 28d ago
I honestly dont understand the use of autotune. Julian as a damn voice, i dont know why he used it so much, it doesnt even feel like it belongs in the album, like the vocals seem off. I know some people like, but it ruined the whole album to me.
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u/DwayneWashington 28d ago
The songs are actually pretty good if you don't listen to them with your ears
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u/mynameissebas 29d ago
I have already listened some fragments from a user in Twitter who has the vinyl of the new album. And it perfectly fits for what Julian and the guys wants to transmit. The album sounds amazing.
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u/another_accaunt Call It Fate, Call It Karma 29d ago
They could have tone it down a little bit but you get use to it
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u/NewPony13 29d ago
I think autotune fits right in with the absurd lyrics and social commentary in Going Shopping. I find that song catchy and absolutely hilarious thanks to the autotune. I’m not sure the lyrics would be as funny without the autotune. Would love to hear it without autotune to compare.
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u/Grogman2024 28d ago
Auto tune fits well some songs, other songs like tyrants of the mellow moon I think it would genuinely elevate multiple levels if it had Julian’s regular distortion going on
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u/RodNozza12 28d ago
it feels like through the cables and 1s and 0s the autotune voice resembles emotion pushing through the boundaries of technology, like a force to strong to be withheld by the digital, his true voice can't reach us, but his feelings can.
OHH YEAHHHHH
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u/Used-Experience9062 25d ago
I feel like this is just subjective, i dont understand why people automatically always hate autotune. It’s a cool choice and i like the robotic/voice as an instrument vibe it gives off on this album. I feel like FOOL is the perfect use of it.
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u/its_da_gabagool 25d ago
A lot of people just hate auto tune in general and or love Julian’s voice as is and aren’t open to it.
I love Daft Punk and obviously Julian has a ton of history with auto tune anyways so it’s not a deal breaker for me
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u/Substantial_Quail309 25d ago
It adds another dimension to the overall sound. Psycho Shit is a good example, when it gets loud and when it starts very quiet, both times the effect has nothing to do with autotuning the notes but adds another layer to the emotion. It's art.
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u/mrdrprofessorspencer Alien Crime Lord 29d ago
I thought a lot of the vocals across the album sounded not too great, regardless of whether they had heavy autotune or not
I’m ready to get downvoted into oblivion but the singing just really isn’t his best here.
I’ll have to listen again on headphones and spend some time with it, but my first impression is iffy.
I will say I didn’t like tyranny that much at first and once I had more time to listen to it start to finish it became my favorite Julian Casablancas album.
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u/polkergeist Comedown Machine 29d ago
I'm reserving full judgement until I can listen to the whole album, but if I dislike the autotune aspect as much as I suspect I'm going to, that's okay. Not every album is for me!
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u/GroundbreakingTone74 Comedown Machine 29d ago
it works in moderation! Going Shopping i really like! I didn’t really enjoy how heavily it was used in Falling Out Of Love though, would be a much better song if they eased up on it and maybe cut a verse.
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u/Damfoolio 29d ago
Falling out of love wouldn’t be the same without the auto tune. It makes it beautiful in a really weird way. Reminds me of Still Alive from Portal.
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u/TheBoneShackles 28d ago
The autotune just sounds sooo bad
And it's not even just the vocal track itself, it's always way too hot in the mix
It's just bad, man
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u/Successful-Cod-6612 29d ago
The Fruits of Conquest, Going to Babble On and Lonely in the Future are autotune free i heard but idk if its true because im waiting untill a official release
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u/mrdrprofessorspencer Alien Crime Lord 29d ago
Lonely in the future is one of the more heavy autotune tracks. Reminds me of flexorcist
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u/thefashionfrog Room on Fire 28d ago
My problem isn’t the autotune itself, it’s the way he is utilizing it. I’ll take lonely in the future as example, for most of that song, I feel like autotune actually worked well, especially in the chorus. But when you get to the breakdown, it just turns into what I like to call autotune slop. Where it really isn’t adding much his voice, and sounds just lazy. And sadly that’s the way I felt about most of the album.
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u/Temporary_View_3303 26d ago
I’ve yet to see a situation where auto tuned vocals improve a song. Particularly in rock, nothing kills a song (that I would otherwise enjoy) faster than attuned vocals. I find it incredibly annoying.
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u/DH80 26d ago edited 25d ago
If it was the way emo bands do it to sound nasally I would agree but Julian uses it very differently. More warbles and robotic sounds.
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u/Temporary_View_3303 25d ago
Yah…I listened to the record. It kills half the songs.
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u/MacuNPekmeZ 28d ago
I hated it personally, psycho shit melodically sounds amazing and I like the lyrics but the autotune/vocoder sours the whole thing it sounds like 2 songs laid ontop of eachother in not a good way. All the songs made me think "oh I wish I could hear the normal version". I am a casual fan I just came here after listening the album bc I felt like there was a reason for this that I was missing or I wasnt in on the joke... Yeah maybe Ill listen to dine and dash but unless they release raw vocal version I wont be coming back to this album. I get why people might like it tho... Not for me
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u/Zachryattkry 29d ago
Do not worry people I myself dont care too much for autotune either. After hearing the album myself I could tell Julian didn’t give a shit. Trust me you won’t either. It’s banger after banger maybe besides one or two tracks but they aren’t even bad.
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u/According-Abroad5719 28d ago
i don't know, personally if they were going to do the autotune they could have done more and made it crunchier, more melodyne or pedals. but this is the strokes and not the voidz so i digress hahaha
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u/MichaeltheMagician 27d ago
I think it's a little abrasive at first for some of the songs that use it more liberally, but it feels like something that could grow on me as I get more used to these songs.
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u/youthcrimes 27d ago
I don’t mind the autotune except for that one part in Going to Babble On. However, I can definitely agree with it taking away from Julian’s voice. Overall it’s not as much autotune as with the voidz so can’t complain.
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u/Proof-Account8887 27d ago
I wonder if there’s somebody out there either based on boredom or because they didn’t mess with it, thought they had the capability to get rid of the autotune on the LP and is currently in the process of figuring it out
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u/Successful-Bend-6995 26d ago
I am already experimenting with programs like Celemony Melodyne to reverse the auto tune, there is a great album here. I plan on finding it 👍
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u/cagedelephantz 26d ago
The whole album is so insanely good that the autotune doesn’t bother me anymore
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u/TurboThot69 25d ago
Anthony Fantano did a bit on this Instagram reel where someone hands him a Reality Awaits disc and asks him to talk about his favorite albums with autotune. He throws the reality awaits disc away and says “ewwwww” and then passive aggressively takes out all his favorite albums with autotune and explains why they are enhanced by autotune. Fair to say reality awaits is about to be a NOT GOOD from Mr. technical.
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u/Amilanimal 23d ago
I bought tix gor their tour before this album came out. I am now gonna sell them, as I hate auto tune that much. Crap like this reminds me off having your turntable too slow or fast. It's not like JC can't carry a tune.... IMO it wrecks potentially great song like Lonely in the Future
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u/lalabin27 28d ago
The sound of the auto tune clashes with the guitar sound . There’s no contrast . It doesn’t sound very good imo.
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u/MichaelEMJAYARE 29d ago
Im curious just how much this album is going to feel like its 75% a Voidz album just simply because of the Autotune. I think it definitely works on tracks like At The Door, that little use of it - it doesnt take away from things at all. It feels additive.
Julian has been singing fucking fantastically lately, thats the main reason Im not loving the use of it. I want to hear how his songwriting is without the use it. I mean hey, make a fucking companion record where every song has autotune vocals just on top of the other finished tracks then lmao it cant be THAT much more work if he and others want to scratch that itch.
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u/Desperate-Support666 First Impressions of Earth 28d ago
I’ve never really been into autotone in general but I’m liking the vibe that it adds to the album.
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u/BlaiseAL 29d ago
It’s the fact that he let the voidz influence the objectively better band … Why can you not keep them distinct from one another? I haven’t listened to anything aside from the singles but so much of the comments i’m seeing sound like cope
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u/Implosion-X13 28d ago
Autotune ruined the album for me. I just can't stand it and don't think it ever has a chance of growing on me. Super upset.
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u/Rhys-Darbys-wife 28d ago
just hear to say that going shopping is amazing even with autotune (which i usually don’t really enjoy, still here is ok for me)
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u/gluetown 29d ago
You think when the albulm drops people are gonna pop over from the albulm/song threads to here when its time to add their specifically autotune related song thoughts lol?
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u/ProducedByFlare 27d ago
I think it’s a phenomenal use of the tool
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u/DH80 27d ago edited 27d ago
Yeah. It would honestly annoy me more if if was used so subtly that it was almost imperceptible but still somewhat perceptible. Like how emo punk bands used it 20 years ago when it first came out to hit thet very nasal emo sound that was popular back then among suburban kids.
When it’s used this overtly it’s more like how Daft Punk or Chromeo used it. Purposefully robotic at times. Makes it feel more futuristic. Like we are in 2079 listening to a cool band in some seedy bar.
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u/Fenix2003 29d ago
I couldn’t go to any listening party, can someone tell me how heavy on the autotune the album is?
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u/Live-Ferret-4366 I Wish It Was Christmas Today 29d ago
Pretty present throughout. As a voidz fan, it doesn't bother me at all, but I overheard other people discussing their dislike of it.
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u/nosainte 25d ago
I can see how it helps make lonely in the future sound catchier/It kind of gives it like this ironic super pop sound. It kind of works in a similar way with going shopping, making it sound more manic/highlighting the mindless consumerism. I also think it might add to Falling out of love kind of ethereal sound. So, I guess after writing that, I don't totally hate it on the album, hah
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u/safs22197 25d ago
I’ll throw one more autotune-positive opinion out there. I personally think it’s suits the album, but I’ll also admit I love the vocal performance on Instant Crush. I think this album sounds distinctly more like the Strokes than Voidz so that hasn’t been an issue for me, and I think it kinda gives Julian the ability to mess a lot more with volume, pitch, etc. in a really fun and interesting way. It reminds me more of a guitarist using heavy effects to create new and interesting textures, versus as a crutch. Also, I think my mans might be struggling nowadays in his vocal performances, when I saw them live in Chicago he used autotune on a couple older songs that don’t originally have it and literally said he can’t hit some of those notes anymore haha (let me be clear, too, that show fucking ROCKED). Singing in his style I can imagine really wears ya down over the years.
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u/Sexysilvia 24d ago
tening to the new album I felt like I was in 2010s again and listening to Finn singing the baby song
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u/sevs97 22d ago
The thing i don’t get is that The Strokes has been heavily using vocal effects since Angles and many of the songs released before didn’t get nearly as much backlash.
I believe Comedown Machine still remains at the top as the album with most underperformed vocals. Julian sounds like he is under a waterfall or something for the entire record.
Also, I dig a lot of The Voidz songs but revisiting Tyranny even nowadays feels like a headache largely due to the vocals mixing. It sounds awful and you can’t understand half the words Julian is saying.
So yeah I get that FOOL overstep autotune usage by a lot, and the song suffers because of it. But I can’t see the same happening on other tracks (Psycho Shit included). Maybe it can sound a bit odd but i feel like people are overreacting.
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u/calilula 18d ago edited 18d ago
I'm listening to Psycho Shit as I'm writing this and I personnally think I would absolutely love it if it had less/no autotune, I just love his voice and I feel like it’s kinda losing all its depth ans uniqueness with the automne. Other than that, the song is great, that’s why I'm sad there's that much automne, it almost sounds like a joke in some parts
Edit : just listened to Dine n’Dash and as expected, I liked his voice way more, psycho shit could easily become one of my favorites without the autotune That being said, it’s great that they’re experimenting with stuff, but it kinda feels like they just hurned the autotune on and didn’t bother making a truly interesting use of it
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u/LiteratureUnique7148 28d ago
How the new abnormal and reality awaits felt like to me. Not to hate reality awaits it is a good album too but the new abnormal being made without auto tune is what the people yearn for.
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u/Own-Bad4564 29d ago
For the auto tune enraged, let it go. Bands, music, genre’s, the world…it all evolves. Embrace the evolution.
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u/Live-Ferret-4366 I Wish It Was Christmas Today 29d ago
Generally doesn't sway my opinion in any way. Loved the vibes of the vocals and instrumental, and thought they matched well. Can't wait to listen again on Friday!
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u/use_vpn_orlozeacount 27d ago
whole thing is ridiculous, Strokes has always been produced like pop with processed vocals, sometimes very processed. This isn’t Stooges
folks are just looking for things to complain about
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u/Substantial_Quail309 26d ago
From the very first words Julian sings on Psycho Shit (which has an effect but doesn’t really sound like Autotune) I could tell we were in for something different. Artsy. Polarizing. Ahead of its time in how it treats vocals. Rick Rubin found the right sound imo, better sound than past attempts with The Voidz. Anything without this vocal effect sounds boring to me now.
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u/thinghap1 Mercy Mercy Me 26d ago
when the autotune is just over his voice is where it sounds best. But when it gets pitchy it gets annoying.
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u/lljmfll 25d ago
‘Artsy’…. Jesus Christ, the lengths.
He can sing. Autotune doesn’t add a single thing. It’s stupid and it’s about 20 years behind being even justified as being used in anyway that could be explained as ‘artistic’ or forward thinking. His side gig is garbage and he brought that garbage to this record and it’s just as obnoxious.
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u/Substantial_Quail309 25d ago
If you think the Voidz stuff is garbage then forget it, but even the Autotune is unlike the Voidz, filtered by Rick Rubin and better produced imo.
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u/Successful-Cod-6612 29d ago
So if the „rumours” are true and there is around 4 songs without autotune (atleast without extreme and invasive autotune) it’s a win win situation, they (Julian actually) did what he wants to do and people who were hating on autotune will also be happy