Albert Hammond Jr has reflected critically on The Strokes’ 2011 album ‘Angles’, saying an earlier, live-sounding version was “more Stones-y” and that the released record became overly polished, “flat” and stylistically scattered. His comments matter because they offer a candid account of the difficult production process behind an album released as the band’s major return after a five-year gap.

Hammond Jr said the group made the album three times, including sessions with Gus Oberg and an unsuccessful stint at New York’s Avatar Studios; only ‘Life Is Simple In The Moonlight’ from the latter sessions reached the final record. Julian Casablancas was touring for much of the process and recorded vocals separately, while ‘Angles’ also marked the first time all members received songwriting credits and the band used backing vocals prominently.