Going Shopping (song)

"Going Shopping"
Single by The Strokes
from the album Reality Awaits
ReleasedApril 7, 2026
GenreIndie rock
Length4:23
Label
ProducerRick Rubin
The Strokes singles chronology
"The Adults Are Talking"
(2020)		 "Going Shopping"
(2026)		 "Falling Out of Love"
(2026)
Music video
"Going Shopping" on YouTube

"Going Shopping" is a 2026 single by the American indie rock band, the Strokes, and the lead single off their seventh studio album, Reality Awaits. The single was released on April 7, 2026.

Composition and lyrics

"Going Shopping" has been described an indie rock song[1] with elements of art punk, surf rock and synth-pop.[2][3] The song has been described by music critics as a song that reminsicent of lead singer Julian Casablancas' work with The Voidz,[4] as well as past Strokes songs on Angles and The New Abnormal.[2]

The song is played in standard guitar tuning, composed in the E major key, utilizing the E Mixolydian mode. "Going Shopping" is written and composed in a standard 4
4 time signature.[5] Both guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. and Nick Valensi utilize standard guitar tuning for the track. The arrangement features the band's signature interlocking guitar parts, pairing clean rhythmic downstrokes with melodic, syncopated lead lines.[6][7]

Lyrically, "Going Shopping" is a satirical track critiquing both modern consumerism, capitalism, and digital overstimulation. The core of the song, about "shopping", frames the act of retail therapy as an act of self-soothing and escape from the anxieties of reality.[8]

Release

The song was released to radio airplay, streaming services, and digital download on April 7, 2026. The day before the release, on April 6, 2026, the band played "Going Shopping" in its current form a show at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco, California in between weekends of the 2026 Coachella Music and Arts Festival.[9] Additionally, the first 100 fans who responded to the band's marketing texts received a physical cassette single of the song.[9] The following week, the single made its radio debut on KROQ's Locals Only evening program for new and emerging songs.[10]

Music video

On June 28, 2026, the band released a music video for "Going Shopping" directed by Johann Rashid.[11] The video features Walton Goggins and references the video for Paul Simon's 1986 song "You Can Call Me Al" featuring Chevy Chase.[12]

Critical reception

Writing for Louder Than War, Martin Gray concluded that "the vocal gimmickry on this new single of theirs is a bit of an acquired taste and requires some perseverance", but ultimately gave positive feedback on the track, comparing the autotune use heavily to bands like The High Llamas and Casablancas' side project, The Voidz.[13]

Personnel

Personnel taken from Reality Awaits' liner notes.[14]

The Strokes

Technical personnel

Charts

"Going Shopping" received heavy airplay on Triple-A, alternative rock, active rock, and independent radio stations. The song became the band's second single of the 2020s to reach number-one on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart (after "Bad Decisions" topped the chart in 2020).[15] The song held the pole position in the chart for two weeks beginning June 20, 2026.[16]

Weekly charts

Chart (2026) Peak
position
Colombia Anglo Airplay (Monitor Latino)[17]14
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard)[18] 10
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19]40
US Adult Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[20]1
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[21]30
US Rock & Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[22]6

References

  1. ↑ Mosk, Mitch (April 15, 2026). ""I Wanna Be a 7-Foot Zombie": The Strokes Chase the Overstimulation of Modern Life on "Going Shopping," the Kinetic Lead Single Off Their 7th Album 'Reality Awaits'". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Nowik, Caroline (May 8, 2026). "Malls, stockbrokers and the Dead Sea: The Strokes embrace the strange on 'Going Shopping'". Michigan Daily. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  3. ↑ Reed, Ryan (July 24, 2026). "The Strokes rebound with the bizarre but impressive Reality Awaits". Paste Magazine. Retrieved July 31, 2026.
  4. ↑ Trajkovski, Natasha (April 9, 2026). "The Strokes: Going Shopping through The Voidz's demos". Sugar Spun Magazine. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Going Shopping Chords by The Strokes". Ultimate-Guitar.com. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Going Shopping Chords and Melody". hooktheory.com. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  7. ↑ Choi, Leah (April 23, 2026). "'Going Shopping' Single Review: The Strokes Lean Into Detachment". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  8. ↑ Vance, Will (April 9, 2026). "The Strokes Going Shopping Lyrics And Meaning: City Panic And Strange Longing". Magnetic Magazine. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  9. 1 2 Pearis, Bill (April 7, 2026). "The Strokes played new song "Going Shopping" in San Francisco, sent cassingles to fans". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  10. ↑ Black, Cody (April 7, 2026). "New music from The Strokes and Temper City added to the KROQ playlist". Audacy. KROQ. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  11. ↑ Knight, David (July 3, 2026). "The Strokes 'Going Shopping' by Johann Rashid". promonews.tv. Retrieved July 26, 2026.
  12. ↑ Roundtree, Cheyenne (June 29, 2026). "Walton Goggins Plays Ultimate Cool Guy in the Strokes 'Going Shopping' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  13. ↑ Martin, Gray (April 13, 2026). "The Strokes' new single Going Shopping – the sound of things to come?". Louder Than War. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
  14. ↑ Reality Awaits (LP liner notes). The Strokes. 2026.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ↑ "Triple A : May 2, 2020 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Triple A : June 20, 2026 | Billboard Chart Archive". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Top 20 Colombia Anglo música". Monitor Latino. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  18. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of April 22, 2026". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved April 22, 2026.
  19. ↑ "The Strokes – Going Shopping". Top 40 Singles.
  20. ↑ "The Strokes Chart History (Adult Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
  21. ↑ "The Strokes Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard.
  22. ↑ "The Strokes Chart History (Rock & Alternative Airplay)". Billboard.
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