Today, March 26, marks the day that The Strokes release their fifth studio album together, Comedown Machine. The album can perhaps be seen as the band's reassurance that they are still together and still intent on making records, thus the seemingly brief time since the release of 2011's comeback album Angles, but has this production-line album release resulted in something as good as Is This It or is it just more of a comedown from the high of their return?

The StrokesThe Strokes: Have They Still Got It?

The first round of reviews are in now and so far there are very few bad reviews out there, with the overwhelming response being that the album is, if anything, a little underwhelming, but a fun and enjoyable listen nonetheless. Our own review of the album, salutes the bands ability to surf between their famed garage rock sound and their new 80's synth influence direction and whilst it may not be as relevant as the band's debut, it is "definitely worth investing time in."

Brit publications Drowned in Sound and Q are equally full of praise for the album, with DiS commending Julian Casablancas and co. for managing to produce an album one that is "almost joyful" despite retaining all the usual elements of The Stroke's New York sneer, whilst Q is convinced this is the best thing the band have done since their infamous 2001 debut. On the other side of the Atlantic, hipster press Pitchfork has given it's usual overly pretentious review of the album, calling it "deeply uncool" - which we presume kind of makes it cool then.

Perhaps the worst review out their for the band comes from the UK, with the newspaper The Guardian commenting that Comedown Machine sounds as though it was produced by "a band running low on ideas, or motivation, or the indefinable magic that makes a band a band." However, it's Sunday equivalent, The Observer, is one publication that commends the exuberance of the record, though it does pose the very possible scenario that this is "the record that few Strokes fans want from them."