The Strokes - The Modern Age

What this video is

Released in March 2002, this video arrived at the peak of an unprecedented hype cycle around The Strokes and the NYC garage rock revival. The band's debut EP The Modern Age (January 2001, Rough Trade Records) had already ignited a record-label bidding war described as the largest for a rock band in years, ultimately leading to a deal with RCA Records. The video's release coincided with the global rollout of Is This…

Why it matters

A landmark artifact of the early-2000s garage rock and post-punk revival, this video — alongside the Is This It album cycle — helped catalyze renewed critical and commercial interest in stripped-back, guitar-forward rock music internationally. Roman Coppola's restrained, performance-first…

The director

Roman François Coppola (born April 22, 1965, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, and music video director. Son of Francis Ford Coppola. Founder and owner of The Directors Bureau, an award-winning commercial and music…