I think I may enrage a whole legion of pitchfork wielding hipsters with this next statement: I think I like new Julian Casablancas better than Neon Indian & Washed Out. Yeah, I don’t know what to say; there’s something oddly comforting about the new wave electro-pop sounds of bands like MGMT & Passion Pit being filtered through the mind of the lead singer of The Strokes.

What can I say? The man knows how to craft a pop song. On “11th Dimension” Casablancas uses some afrobeat/congaline drums to back some bright synth stabs that has the ultimate effect of being like a super energetic version of the aforementioned Washed Out. I’m sure all the cool kids will immediately knock this as being a sub-par attempt to cash in on the burgeoning electro-pop scene but put any previous prejudices and pre-concieved notions of what this sounds like aside and decide for yourself.

Julian’s new solo album Phrazes For The Young drops October 20th.

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DOWNLOAD: Julian Casablancas – 11th Dimension

BONUS: Check out a teaser video to promote the album. Looks and sounds like it has a lot of potential.