At
Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received a weighted average score of 75, based on 25 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Most critics praised the mature lyrics and highlighted the members' return to form after a period of tension and apathy from within the group.
Will Hodgkinson of
The Times awarded the album five out of five stars, labeling it their "second masterpiece", following
Is This It (2001). He praised Rick Rubin's production as well as the album's overall sound, saying that "the Strokes sound like a band again."
Entertainment Weekly gave the album an A−, acknowledging that "twenty years on from the band's first flush of stardom,
Abnormal offers something better than reckless youth: rock stars finally old enough to miss those good old days—and wise enough now, too, to give us the soundtrack these strange new times deserve."
NME awarded the album four stars, with Ella Kemp remarking, "The Strokes have always kept their feelings at arm's length, but there are traces of deeper introspection on their sixth album, which—despite itself—is something of a crowd-pleaser." In the review for
AllMusic, Heather Phares praised the album, calling it "[f]ull of passion, commitment, and creativity" and proclaiming that "
The New Abnormal marks the first time in a while that the Strokes have made truly exciting music." Giving the verdict for
Consequence of Sound, Tyler Clark stated that "Even with its inevitable blemishes, The New Abnormal is easily the freshest, most interesting album that The Strokes have released in more than a decade. While the band haven't proven to be the single-handed savior that rock music always seems to be searching for, they have made the case for taking a slow-burn approach to collaboration and creativity. In that respect, this album might just be the first step along a new, more invigorated path." Rachel Aroesti also provided a positive assessment in the review for
the Guardian, writing that "when they put their minds to it, that old magic is still well within the Strokes's grasp." Some reviewers were more critical in their judgement of the album. In the review for
Pitchfork, Sam Sodomsky mentioned that "the Strokes' sixth album and first in seven years, mostly just feels like a hangover. It's sluggish and slight, and the strongest hooks are so familiar that they require additional writing credits for the '80s hits they copy note-for-note".
Neil McCormick of
The Daily Telegraph gave the album three stars out of five, criticizing its "cheesy Eighties synths and dinky disco beats" as well as Julian Casablancas' lyrics, but praised its instrumentation and Casablancas's vocals, as well as Rick Rubin's production for making The Strokes sound "pretty damn fantastic again." Reviewing the album for
Exclaim!, Kaelen Bell had mixed feelings, saying that it is "not a bad record, but it is a frustrating one, made by a band that feels pulled in a dozen different directions."
Kitty Empire of
the Observer also regarded the album as a "frustrating listen despite its gleam", adding that "faster tempos would have helped."
Commercial On the US
Billboard 200,
The New Abnormal debuted at number 8 with 35,000
equivalent album units. Of that sum, 23,000 were in album sales, 11,000 in
SEA units and less than 1,000 in TEA units. The album reached number 1 on the
Top Album Sales chart, making it the highest-selling album in terms of pure sales for that week.
Accolades ==Track listing==