With indie rock veterans The Strokes gearing up to release a new single any day now (nope, it’s still not here), it seems a fitting time to dive back into their catalog and explore some overlooked gems. At least that’s what Aaron Maine of Porches thought when he showed up to a live session on SiriusXMU with a surprise in his back pocket: a cover of “Trying Your Luck” off the NYC outfit’s 2001 debut, Is This It.
“[The Strokes] just came out at such a crazy formative part of my life,” Maine told the satellite radio station. “I had never heard anything like that. They just were so special to me, so responsible for me getting into music as much as I did. I even think melodically Julian [Casablancas] is there in my subconscious.”
The cover aligns closely with Porches’ most recent album, Pool, which deemphasizes the singer-songwriter’s traditional lo-fi style in favor of soft-rock synths and and crisp, palm-muted guitar lines. Check it out below.
As for whether Maine did his idols justice, you can ask the five-piece yourself when they play NYC’s Governors Ball Music Festival in June. Just shout really loud so they can hear you from the stage.
There has been no confirmed word on the new Strokes album, but with their festival appearance this summer, it appears to be imminent. Governors Ball organizers have said one of the reasons they booked the band to headline was due to the likelihood they’d be supporting a new album. While we wait, let’s revisit the original version of “Trying Your Luck”:
Oh, yeah. That’s the good stuff.
