album cover art: is this it

“Don’t judge a book by its cover” might have some meaning, but we all still makes judgments based on first impressions. Fortunately for The Strokes, first impressions totally work to their advantage with the classic album cover from the classic album Is This It.

The shot of black leather gloved hands on a women’s naked backside is enough to convince any alternative fan that this’ll be a trip worth taking. That, along with a title suggesting dissatisfaction, is one of the most enticing covers for a rock album to come out of the 2000s.

Album designer Colin Lane took the iconic photograph, but at the time it wasn’t meant for the album. His girlfriend had just left the shower and Lane took the initiative to capture her apparent charm with a pair of gloves left over from a friend. “I was just trying to take a sexy picture,” Lane later explained. Well, you sure did Lane, and rock music thanks you for it.

By: Spencer Semianiw