The Strokes’ landmark debut album Is This It marks its 25th anniversary this year. The boutique label 22Twenty is commemorating the milestone by releasing a fresh tribute collection to Is This It, billed as the first entry in a planned series. Will it match the quality of Stereogum’s own Is This It tribute compilation? Probably not, but the source material surely deserves this treatment multiple times over.
Familiar Strangers Vol. 1: Is This It is scheduled to arrive in about a month. Its lead single is a cover of the deep-cut “Trying Your Luck,” the first Strokes track I ever downloaded on Napster ?, performed by the quirky, ascending Philadelphia siblings Sam and Louise Sullivan. Those two were a joy to talk to this summer, and their album Love & Devotion stands out as one of 2026’s finest. Working on a 4-track setup, they’ve transformed a brisk, almost mechanistic song into a surprisingly dreamy and minimal arrangement.
A portion of the compilation’s proceeds will support Sounds Of Saving, a youth mental health nonprofit rooted in music culture. Listen to “Trying Your Luck (4-track)” below.
TRACKLIST:
01 Jermango Dreaming – “Is This It”
02 Tommy Oeffling – “The Modern Age”
03 Rubber Band Gun – “Soma”
04 Kaycie Satterfield – “Barely Legal”
05 The Motor Show – “Someday”
06 Budge – “Alone, Together”
07 Baseball Greg – “Last Nite” (Feat. Sleap-e)
08 Son Of The Challenger – “Hard To Explain”
09 Dejima – “When It Started”
10 Sam And Louise Sullivan – “Trying Your Luck”
11 Cameraman Never Dies – “Take It Or Leave It”
Familiar Strangers Vol. 1: Is This It will be released on 12/4 through 22Twenty. Pre-save it here. And as always, if you’re listening to Is This It without “New York City Cops,” you’re not really listening to Is This It.
