The Voidz - Virtue (2018)

When Julian Casablancas returned with his second non-Strokes record in 2014 (The Voidz‘s ‘Tyranny’) the world seemed bemused by the path he was taking. His 2009 solo album ‘Phrazes For The Young’ was a gleaming sci-fi pop masterpiece and The Strokes were, well, The Strokes. It might feel comfortable terming The Voidz’s debut as a “classic Julian” move now, but after all that it felt like a massive curveball – one full of dystopian chaos and sonic challenges.

‘Virtue’ is an easier listen – slightly. Not so much so that The Voidz lose their eccentric inventor touch, but just enough that there are a handful of pop-leaning moments present among the boundary-pushing ones. The frontman told Billboard recently they’d made the album more people-friendly because they “want to be able to afford to keep doing [The Voidz]” – but if there was even the tiniest hint of cynicism at the root of the record, it doesn’t show.

TRACKLIST

1. The Voidz - Leave It In My Dreams
2. The Voidz - QYURRYUS
3. The Voidz - Pyramid of Bones
4. The Voidz - Permanent High School
5. The Voidz - ALieNNatioN
6. The Voidz - One of the Ones
7. The Voidz - All Wordz Are Made Up
8. The Voidz - Think Before You Drink
9. The Voidz - Wink
10. The Voidz - My Friend The Walls
11. The Voidz - Pink Ocean
12. The Voidz - Black Hole
13. The Voidz - Lazy Boy
14. The Voidz - We're Where We Were
15. The Voidz - Pointlessness