Julian Casablancas

Since the Strokes released the underappreciated First Impressions of Earth in early 2006, frontman Julian Casablancas has popped up here and there with Danger Mouse, Pharrell and, most recently on ‘Boombox' by the Lonely Island, the joke rap act of Saturday Night Live's Andy Samberg. But his schedule is about to get hectic: there's a tour to promote last year's weird and wonderful solo debut, Phrazes for the Young, a newborn son to raise and, oh yeah, a tour with that band of his.

Many of your lyrics take a step-by-step account of how you feel. For example, 'Out of the Blue' talks about hopefulness turning to sadness to bitterness, not unlike the Strokes tune 'On the Other Side' when you talk about how you hate people, drink more, love them, drink some more, hate them more. Are you a mercurial person, writing from experience, or are you just observing people? I don't know; it's probably 50/50. Roughly, it's half personal experiences and half trying to paint a picture and storytelling. Not traditional storytelling, more of putting out general emotional feelings. 'Out of the Blue' and 'On the Other Side', with those two songs, those have a before and after. Those two have that in common for sure.

Your album made me see the Strokes in a different light, because it seems your main way of thinking is as a composer or arranging pieces. Phrazes… demonstrates that the Strokes is a much more arranged endeavour. The levels of all the instruments in the mix are weird and really thought-out. Yeah, I think that's totally the thing with the Strokes. That's how I, whatever, or we, wanted it. We probably sound like these drunk dudes stumbling the room and trying to play. Actually, everything was put together meticulously even though we make it sound weird and low-fi. It was definitely planned rawness. There's not much jamming.

How's the fourth Strokes album going? Is it stressful or helpful creatively for you to have your solo thing going on simultaneously? I think it will help the Strokes for sure. Let me think: um, it's not really affecting us. It's crawling there, you know?

What does it sound like? I don't know; I mean right now, it probably sounds more like First Impressions of Earth, but soon I'll get my head around it and do my thing and, uh, funk it up a little bit.

I read you wanted it to sound like 21st century Thin Lizzy. Ha, yeah. If Thin Lizzy carried on 15 years in the future and just kind of went towards 80s melodies.

Was it reassuring to just have so many media outlets rank Is This It as the best record of the decade? I think it was validating, you know? I felt like uh... I felt if I'm gonna pick the guitar up, for some people to legitimise is nice. I felt like I could have been wrong to some point. But some think some writers are like, "Yeah the solo thing is great, but the Strokes." The thing is, to be honest, I was upset with the reaction to our band at one point, so it's better a delayed positive reaction over no reaction.

You're a new father now, right? Yeah, I am. Yep. Seven weeks. It's new, so it feels kinda fun.

After a few years of relative quiet, you have two bands going, touring and recording, and an infant. Is it overwhelming? Uh, it doesn't seem like it right now. Ask me in a little while. But right now I'm at home, so I feel pretty psyched about things. I don't... Well, if I could cut out something I would, but I can't. Brent DiCrescenzo

Julian Casablancas Metro, Sun 9 May. The Strokes Hordern Pavilion, Thu 29 Jul