Fans of The Strokes are in for a surprise when first hearing the debut solo recording from the band’s guitarist Albert Hammond Jr.

“Yours to Keep” has very little in common with the average Strokes album. Instead of crackly, dry production, cardboard drum sound and cheap guitar leads, the new release possesses dramatic, swaying song hooks and a soupy ambience that haunts much of the recording. The lush vocal harmonies and fun, upbeat song arrangement on tracks like “Blue Skies” and “Scared” keep the mood of the album loose and exciting — which is unusual for solo debut — and avoids the predictability that has plagued most of The Strokes’ releases.

The album is clearly inspired by the 1960s “California” sound a la The Beach Boys.

And while the hooks are easy to notice, they aren’t always compelling. Fortunately for Hammond, the rippling vocal harmonies leap out of the thin, transparent mix with ease, rescuing the album when it threatens to slip into mediocrity (“101,” “Holiday”).

However, he does sound confident throughout album, letting his emotions seep into a few tracks (“Bright Young Thing,” “Call an Ambulance”) while churning out chord-based hooks (“In Transit”) and keeping everything interesting with his spontaneous, free-wheeling approach.

It’s worth noting that at times, the song-writing on “Yours to Keep” sounds eerily similar to Albert’s father, ‘70s icon Albert Hammond.

Thankfully, “It Never Rains in Southern California” is nowhere to be found on this album.