Strokes’ Nick Valensi Forms New Band, Drops Indie-Pop Banger

What happens when you mix a little bit of The Strokes with a little bit of Josh Homme? Not Queens of the Stroke Age (Geez, doesn’t that sound like a PSA for aged care homes?), but CRX! The fresh band is fronted by The Strokes guitarist Nick Valensi, proving that Julian Casablancas isn’t the only one who can do the whole side project thing.

Joining Valensi in the LA-based outfit will be Richie James Folin from indie band Guards on the keys, The Dose drummer Ralph Alexander, The Reflections’ bassist Jon Safley, and LA musician Darian Zahedi.

The band’s first track is the indie-garagey rocker Ways To Fake It. The track features some cool, tight guitar strumming throughout the verses before breaking into some more intense guitar and synthesiser pairings in the choruses. Mix in a danceable quality thanks to the rhythm section and you have a final product that could easily pass in an episode of ‘The Inbetweeners’ with its mid 2000s indie sound.

CRX are due to drop their debut album ‘New Skin’ later this year, and to get their supergroup sounds out to the world, they recruited Queens of The Stone Age, Them Crooked Vultures, and Eagles of Death Metal alum Josh Homme to mix and produce. If you were even possibly left asking what kind of music the band would be dropping, they’ve labelled themselves as a “muscular and melodic form of garage rock.”

Their album is set to hit stores on October 28th. Check out Ways To Fake It below!