Fresh off a Splendour In The Grass set, Albert Hammond Jr joined Chris Twite for a chat and a touch of guest programming, showing listeners the songs that helped him rediscover his love of music.

Albert Hammond Jr. will always be known for his guitar work with The Strokes. But after four solid solo albums, it’s clear he’s in a league of his own.

“The freedom to be able to sing, run around, and interact, to play solos in a song, play some rhythm, play guitar by myself, is allowing the show to be a certain way, I realised that that’s what makes me happy, that’s where I belong.”

While the masterful rock melodies and riffs recall his Strokes work, they’re dosed with moments that feel incredibly personal. The inspiration for the album emerged from an unexpected reminder of the stillborn birth of his twin brother at a family dinner. It was when he enlisted an alter ego to base the album around, that the experience transformed into music.

“I finished touring Momentary Masters, I knew the kind of record I wanted to make – a viceral, live album – and I knew the front man I wanted to be. And then in time, I created a character, and that’s why it ended up being called Francis Troubled.”
As for his song choices – Hammond Jnr settled on four cuts that drew him out of a creative slump when he needed it most.

“All these songs somehow have to do with my falling back in love with music, after having done it for a while.” 

Take a listen to the full interview above, to Albert advocating for the importance of the live experience in modern rock n roll and giving the New Yorkest back stories to his song choices (Brooklyn, DJing, motorcyles etc).