November 20, 2008 10:47

The Strokes: ''Is This It' was born from confusion and alcohol'

Band speak about their seminal album sessions

Photo Gallery: The Strokes

The Strokes have spoken about the recording of some of their most important songs in a new NME.COM video, saying that their debut album, 'Is This It', was created via "confusion and alcohol".

Speaking in the video, bassist Nikolai Fraiture claimed that when the band recorded 'Hard To Explain', from their 2001 debut album, they still had focus despite their monumental booze intake.

"'Hard To Explain' was a vague ball of confusion from that [recording] session, coming back to [bar] 2A and listening [back to it]," he said. "The vibe in the studio at the time was a lot of alcohol and focus.

"It sounds impossible but it was [feasible] at the time. That's how 'Hard To Explain' came about."

Click below to watch the video in full, with contributions from The Strokes' drummer Fab Moretti as well as Fraiture.

Plus, get the new issue of NME, for a celebration of the tenth anniversary of the formation of The Strokes, featuring new interviews and reports, as well as contributions from Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner and Lightspeed Champion.