Albert Hammond Jr

Alongside his work with the Strokes, Albert Hammond, Jr. takes his music in more eclectic, and more personal, directions on his own. On his 2006 solo debut album Yours to Keep, the singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist offered bittersweet pop that connected his music to tunesmiths ranging from Buddy Holly and the Beach Boys to Guided by Voices. He added string arrangements — as well as rock befitting his other band — to the mix on 2008′s ambitious ¿Como Te Llama?, while 2015′s Momentary Masters delivered flawlessly honed guitar pop. Later, Hammond’s music became more confessional, with 2018′s Francis Trouble exploring identity crises big and small, and 2023′s Melodies on Hiatus touching on his favorite styles — including hip-hop — while exploring the moments that make up a lifetime.
Born in Los Angeles, Hammond — the son of singer/songwriter Albert Hammond, whose hits include “It Never Rains in Southern California,” “When I Need You,” and “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before” — began playing guitar at age nine. As a teen, he went to the prestigious Swiss boarding school Le Institut le Rosey, where he met future Strokes singer Julian Casablancas. When Hammond moved to New York City in 1998 to attend New York University’s film school in the late ’90s, he reconnected with Casablancas, and ultimately became the fifth and final member of the Strokes’ lineup. The band became one of the most celebrated acts of the early 2000s, with 2001′s debut album Is This It earning glowing reviews and platinum sales in the U.S., U.K., and several other countries, and 2003′s follow-up Room on Fire going gold in the U.S. and platinum in the U.K. and Australia. Though Casablancas penned most of the group’s songs, Hammond co-wrote Room on Fire’s “Automatic Stop” and songs that appeared on the Strokes’ 2001 tour video In Transit.
Hammond first worked outside of the band in October 2005, when he collaborated with Ben Kweller on a version of the Beatles’ “Wait” that appeared on This Bird Has Flown: A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul. When the Strokes finished touring in support of their third album, 2006′s First Impressions of Earth, Hammond worked on his solo debut album. Arriving in October 2006 in the U.K. and in March 2007 in the U.S., Yours to Keep included reworked versions of the In Transit songs as well as contributions from Casablancas, Kweller, Sean Lennon, Fountains of Wayne’s Jody Porter, bassist Josh Lattanzi, and drummer Matt Romano as Hammond’s main support. Named for a song off of Guided by Voices’ Bee Thousand, the album reached number 11 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart in the U.S. and also charted in the U.K. and France. Hammond toured with Bloc Party, the Mooney Suzuki, and Incubus, then headed to Electric Lady Studios in late 2007 to make his second album. Lennon, the Mooney Suzuki’s Marc Philippe Eskenazi, and Longwave’s Steve Schlitz appeared on July 2008′s ¿Como Te Llama?. Spanning sunny indie-pop, Strokes-like rock, and string-laden ballads, it peaked at 20 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart and, like Yours to Keep, also appeared on the U.K. and French Albums Charts.
When the Strokes reunited for 2011′s Angles and 2013′s Comedown Machine, a few years passed before Hammond returned to his solo career. Co-produced by Strokes collaborator Gus Oberg and released by Casablancas’ Cult Records label, October 2013′s EP AHJ featured some of Hammond’s most focused singing and songwriting. The following year, he began working on his third solo album. He reunited with Oberg as well as his backing band — guitarists Mikey Hart and Hammarsing Kharhmar, bassist Jordan Brooks, and drummer Jeremy Gustin — for Momentary Masters, which arrived in July 2015. The album continued the tightly crafted guitar pop of AHJ and reached number 20 on the Billboard Independent Albums chart. In 2016, Hammond joined forces with the Strokes once again for the Future Present Past EP and a tour. Late in 2017, he contributed a version of Vera Lynn’s “The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot” that interpolated the chorus of George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord” to Amazon’s Indie for the Holidays series. For his fourth album, he worked with Oberg once more, taking inspiration from his stillborn twin to create the songs about loss and identity that made up March 2018′s Francis Trouble. Reaching number 25 on the Independent Albums chart, Francis Trouble featured “Muted Beatings,” which was a radio hit in Mexico, and “Far Away Truths,” which peaked at 24 on the U.S. Alternative Airplay chart. Ahead of a tour of the western U.S., Hammond issued the single “Fast Times” in 2019; another single, “More to Life,” arrived later in the year.
In 2020, the Strokes returned with the Grammy-winning album The New Abnormal, and Hammond also appeared on the Struts’ “Another Hit of Showmanship.” For his fifth solo album, June 2023′s Melodies on Hiatus, he changed gears again. Hammond collaborated with poet Simon Wilcox on the album’s lyrics and worked with rapper Goldlink on the single “100-99.” With influences including disco and new wave as well as hip-hop, Melodies on Hiatus also featured Arctic Monkeys’ Matt Helders, Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens, and Rainsford. ~ Heather Phares