Is This It

Belatedly celebrating 20 years of "Is This It" by The Strokes

Thanks for joining me here for another dispatch of my twice-weekly music and menswear newsletter, which is different (but somewhat the same) as my daily style blog from which it gets its name. Thanks for reading!

My friends, we’re back at it again here at The Style Guide In Brief with a few thoughts on an album sure to shake off any early-week doldrums you might be feeling. I was back in Michigan this past weekend, celebrating the wedding of a longtime friend, which was a true joy. And for other reasons, I had cause to celebrate and reflect just a bit, as well. If you keep up with me on Twitter or Instagram, perhaps you saw my latest feature for the one and only Esquire.com, a look back at 20 years of “Is This It” by The Strokes, woven in with my own personal story - the album was a driving force behind my move to New York City, believe it or not! It’s an album that still resonates with me deeply, and it’s one that I still play almost every single day (again, believe it or not!). Speaking of, why not click through right here and shop for some new vinyl while we’re on the subject?

“Is This It,” released two decades ago, is a record that packs so much into its 36 minutes, one that’s relentlessly energetic, perfectly timeless, incredibly cool to this day and just plain fun. I’ve written before in this newsletter about my love of the band, their style (denim jackets, Converse sneakers, Albert Hammond Jr.’s excellent tailoring), and in my mind, they’re the total package to this day (the band’s 2020 LP, “The New Abnormal,” is quite the prime example of this). With that being said, I’m going to let my Esquire.com feature do the talking for now (although you can always check out my work at Atwood Magazine for more musical insight, or my daily style blog for your dose of Tuesday fashion). As ever, stay tuned for a full Saturday dispatch —thanks for reading and thanks for your support!