Different Strokes

Why have one cool rock band when you can have two? Meet the fleet-fingered ax-slingers from Strokes singer Julian Casablancas' inventive other band, the Voidz

- ADRIANA TOMA

YOU'LL BE FAMILIAR with the New York five-piece the Strokes, renowned since their formation in 1998 for their angular, stripped-down rock singles. While that band remains sporadically active, back in 2013 singer Julian Casablancas announced the formation of the Voidz, a side project featuring guitarists Amir Yaghmai and Jeramy "Beardo" Gritter, bassist Jake Bercovici, keyboard player Jeff Kite and drummer Alex Carapetis that has grown dramatically in profile over its decade-plus in business.

The appeal of the Voidz is obvious. Their charismatic debut album, Tyranny (2014), set the tone perfectly, with Yaghmai and Gritter exploring a wide range of experimental textures on singles such as "Human Sadness." As musicians, the guitarists use unorthodox tones and complex lines to complement the synth-heavy songwriting, leading to a sound that's worlds away from the knowingly retro approach of Casablancas' day-job band. It's no surprise that multi-instrumentalist Yaghmai has a diverse resume that includes sessions with Daedelus and Scarlett Johansson (for Break Up, her 2009 album with Pete Yorn), while Gritter has built an online presence with W.A.N.T (featuring Andre Legacy) and other projects.

On their second album, Virtue (2018), the Voidz expanded their sound while reining in the experimental edges, delivering five singles and touring alongside Beck and Phoenix. The band's third album, Like All Before You (2024), covered even wider ground — see the 15-minute video for "Flexorcist"/"Prophecy of the Dragon" for evidence — and a new EP, Megz of Ram, is set for release as this issue of Guitar World goes to press. Although its leadoff single, "Blue Demon," released in March, was primarily electronic and highly Autotuned, the two musicians reassure us that guitar is very much at the forefront of the Voidz' approach.