Interview from Exclaim

From Exclaim:

Interpol Discuss "Immediate and Confident" New Record, Possibility of 'Antics' Reissue
By Matt Bobkin

Critically acclaimed New York post-punk revivalists Interpol recently announced their fifth LP, El Pintor, which isn't due until September 8 on Matador. While the group have yet to reveal any of the studio recordings, they have played the album's first three tracks, "All the Rage Back Home," "My Desire" and "Anywhere," at recent shows.

Speaking to Exclaim!, guitarist Daniel Kessler explains that "All the Rage Back Home" is "probably the first single." Drummer Sam Fogarino goes on to describe the track as "kind of a power-pop song but it still has that Interpol angst. Just when you think it's too happy and too content, I keep falling down half the time." Featuring an abrupt tempo shift that lurches the track forward, the song sets a tone for the record that Fogarino describes as "immediate and confident, without being dismissive."

Another track that Fogarino discusses in great detail is "My Blue Supreme." According to the drummer, "I kinda fell into this Bowie-influence — Station to Station, Scary Monsters and even Let's Dance. [It's] really dancey but kind of angular at the same time, and I think without anyone else knowing that they kind of fell into that too, and I didn't want to say anything, because you don't want to put like a spell on it."

El Pintor is the first LP recorded without longtime bassist Carlos Dengler, who departed after the completion of 2010's self-titled record. The position, filled in the studio by vocalist Paul Banks, was a welcome change for the group.

"With no disparaging to Carlos, he really stopped caring about playing bass a long time ago and Paul was the opposite. He really felt that he didn't want to just fill somebody's void, he wanted to make it just as good and then better," remarks Fogarino.

Kessler also admits that Banks picking up the four-string was a last-minute decision. "We had no idea he was gonna play bass, we didn't know how that was going to go. Truthfully, we didn't really have a plan beforehand at all."

This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the band's second record, Antics. While they released a commemorative deluxe edition of their debut, Turn on the Bright Lights, upon its 10th anniversary two years ago, Kessler says that, if there is a deluxe reissue on the horizon, it's probably not coming out this year.

"Maybe we'll try to do something at some point along this campaign, it'd be nice. I spent a lot of damn time putting that whole [deluxe Turn on the Bright Lights reissue] together, and that took me forever but it was great. It'd be nice to do something for Antics as well, maybe we'll find the time while we're out there."

And as to El Pintor, both bandmates are confident that the record is one of the band's finest. Says Kessler, "We're excited to share this record, I'm super jazzed. I'm a little hesitant to say too much because it's our fifth record. I know I've said it before, this feels like our best record, but you should always feel this way about your body of work, and I do feel pretty jazzed about it and I can't wait for people to hear it."