The Strokes made their fifth SNL appearance on November 7 — and brought Walton Goggins on bongos. That sentence sounds unhinged. It was also genuinely great television. With comedian Druski hosting in his first turn as SNL host, the band delivered two songs from Reality Awaits, their seventh studio album, released July 2026 via RCA Records. The performances felt less like a nostalgic homecoming and more like a band arriving with real intent — and a point to make.
“Going Shopping” and the Chevy Chase Callback Nobody Saw Coming
Goggins’ bongo appearance was no spontaneous cameo — it was a carefully constructed homage with a 40-year-old music video as its blueprint.
Goggins didn’t just wander onstage. His appearance was deliberate — a direct homage to Chevy Chase’s role in Paul Simon’s 1986 “You Can Call Me Al” video, according to Sony Music. Goggins had already starred in the “Going Shopping” music video, directed by Johann Rashid, which drew inspiration from that same Simon clip. Watching him materialize behind a pair of bongos on live television was the kind of layered callback that rewards anyone paying close attention.
The SNL Night, By the Numbers:
- Fifth appearance overall; previous slots: 2002, 2006, 2011, 2020
- “Lonely in the Future” opened the set, featuring psychedelic visuals and elaborate lighting
- “Going Shopping” closed the band’s set with Goggins joining on bongos
- Both tracks are from Reality Awaits, the band’s seventh studio album, produced by Rick Rubin according to Entertainment Weekly
- Druski hosted the episode — his first time in the chair
Reality Awaits Is Doing What Rick Rubin Albums Are Supposed to Do
The two performances carried genuine thematic weight, positioning The Strokes as a band still swinging at something worth hitting.
The performances weren’t just spectacle. According to Entertainment Weekly, “Lonely in the Future” functions as a pointed critique of contemporary music-industry trends — sharp timing for a band re-entering a streaming-dominated landscape. “Going Shopping,” per Entertainment Weekly’s reading, takes aim at consumerism and commercial distraction, then pivots toward a quieter desire for countryside escape. That tension — noise versus stillness, buying versus being — gives Reality Awaits more backbone than a typical comeback record.
The band’s last SNL appearance in 2020 promoted The New Abnormal. This time, the material lands differently. Heavier, maybe. More considered. Six years of distance has a way of sharpening a band’s perspective — and Rick Rubin’s production has a way of making sure that perspective actually reaches the speakers. For broader context on enduring 00’s rock albums against which Reality Awaits can be measured, the band’s legacy runs deep.
The Strokes are currently on the road behind Reality Awaits. If the SNL performances are any indication, this album deserves your full attention — not just the streaming algorithm’s thirty-second preview.
