Julian Casablancas their last album under the contract with long-time label RCA, for which they did no promotion. The band released an EP, "Future Present Past", on Casablancas' own label Cult Records in 2016. As a solo artist, Casablancas set out with an intention to say what was on his mind, both musically and lyrically. Speaking on his experience as a solo artist versus releasing music with The Strokes, the singer has put it simply, “it’s like touring with me or with five of me,” meaning that each member has their own opinionated state of mind. While such statements raised much concern
Julian Casablancas sang about drugs and sex, about the people around him — it was so matter-of-fact," Casablancas stated in a "Rolling Stone" interview. "Reed could be romantic in the way he portrayed these crazy situations, but he was also intensely real. It was poetry and journalism." Additionally, he has stated that Bob Marley, Nirvana and Pearl Jam are major influences on his work, the latter being the reason he started making music, upon hearing the song "Yellow Ledbetter". Julian, in agreement with several members of The Voidz, has named Stevie Wonder as being a composer with a “next level mind". Julian