Interpol

Interpol carved out a singular niche in indie rock upon surfacing early in the 2000s. Together with the Strokes and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs they spearheaded New York City's rock resurgence at the century's turn and ignited the post-punk revival that stretched into the 2020s. The group's 2002 debut Turn on the Bright Lights, an instant classic, blended angular guitars with Paul Banks' glamorous, ominous baritone, influences rooted equally in the Chameleons, the Smiths, and the frequently referenced Joy Division as in the creative surge that animated their city after 9/11. Steadfast output across releases such as 2004's Antics and 2014's El Pintor allowed them to endure personnel shifts and stylistic changes. On 2018's Marauder the band approached their established standing with fresh drive, and 2022's subtly optimistic The Other Side of Make-Believe uncovered additional layers in their sound.

Roots trace to the late 1990s, when guitarist Daniel Kessler and drummer Greg Drudy, also of screamo band Saetia, began collaborating while both attended New York University. After Kessler encountered bassist Carlos Dengler in a philosophy class, the bassist joined the circle. Kessler recruited frontman Paul Banks, a guitarist and vocalist drawn to rap and grunge, during time the pair had spent together in France.

Once the initial lineup stabilized, Interpol operated fully from 1998 onward and issued several self-released EPs. After 2000's Fukd I.D. #3 EP appeared, Drudy departed. Sam Fogarino, a drummer with ten years of punk-band experience who had considered leaving music, took the drum chair when Kessler invited him aboard. Frequent shows at New York spots such as Brownie's and the Mercury Lounge built local support, while a short 2001 U.K. tour that featured a session for John Peel's BBC Radio program widened their international reach. That same year the band released the third EP, Precipitate, and contributed to the double-disc Brooklyn compilation This Is Next Year.

Matador Records signed Interpol in 2002 and issued a three-song self-titled EP that June followed by the debut album Turn on the Bright Lights that August. Captured at Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, Connecticut, with Gareth Jones and Peter Katis, the churning post-punk update drew critical praise and Joy Division and Smiths comparisons. Turn on the Bright Lights climbed to number 101 on the U.K. Albums Chart and number 158 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S., also lingering more than a year on Billboard's Independent Albums chart. Strong cult support fueled extensive touring that included international dates and television spots. Late in 2003 the band returned to Tarquin Studios to track their second album, Antics, again with Katis. Released that September, the more streamlined and propulsive record extended the debut's success, reaching number 15 on the Billboard 200 and number 21 on the U.K. Albums Chart. Antics later earned gold certification in Australia, Belgium, Mexico, the U.S., and the U.K., where three tracks ("Slow Hands," "Evil," and "C'mere") reached the Top 40. The group mounted an extended world tour lasting nearly eighteen months. During this period they contributed "Direction" to Six Feet Under, Vol. 2: Everything Ends, the 2005 soundtrack for the HBO series.

By 2006 Interpol had resumed studio work. Their third album, July 2007's Our Love to Admire, represented the first recordings made in New York City, at Electric Lady and Magic Shop studios, and their Capitol Records debut. Produced by Rich Costey across extended sessions, the album introduced a lusher palette that incorporated keyboards. Our Love to Admire became the band's highest-charting release, peaking at number four in the U.S., number two in the U.K., and within the Top Ten or Top 20 in multiple other territories. Outside Interpol, members pursued side projects: Fogarino formed Magnetic Morning with Swervedriver's Adam Franklin and released an EP, Dengler composed film scores, and Banks launched a solo career as Julian Plenti with the 2009 album Julian Plenti Is Skyscraper. Early 2009 saw the band begin tracking a fourth album at Electric Lady. Dengler exited the following May, after which Dave Pajo joined as touring bassist for European dates with U2 before Brad Truax replaced him. Dissatisfied with the extended creative timeline and personnel changes at Capitol, the band returned to Matador for September 2010's Interpol. Self-produced and mixed by Alan Moulder, the album featured cinematic arrangements plus backing vocals by Azealia Banks on one track and again reached the Top Ten in both the U.K. and U.S.

After touring the record, including support slots for U2, the members entered an extended hiatus focused on solo endeavors. These included Banks' Julian Plenti material on the 2012 EP Julian Plenti Lives... and his own 2012 album Banks, plus Fogarino's 2013 EmptyMansions collaboration with the Jesus Lizard's Duane Denison and touring member Brandon Curtis of Secret Machines, which yielded snakes/vultures/sulfate. A deluxe tenth-anniversary edition of Turn on the Bright Lights, containing demos and rarities, also appeared during this period.

September 2014's fifth album El Pintor, an anagram of Interpol, returned to basics with Banks handling bass and Curtis on keyboards. Contributions from Jellyfish's Roger Joseph Manning, Jr. and Bon Iver's Rob Moose helped earn acclaim as a return to form and another Top Ten placement in the U.S. and U.K. A remix album featuring Factory Floor and Panda Bear followed. Additional member projects expanded: Kessler formed Big Noble with Datach'i's Joseph Fraioli, releasing 2015's First Light, while Banks partnered with Wu-Tang Clan's RZA as Banks & Steelz on 2016's Anything But Words.

In 2017 Interpol toured to mark the fifteenth anniversary of Turn on the Bright Lights and began work on a sixth album late that year. Recorded with Dave Fridmann at Tarbox Studios in upstate New York on tape rather than digitally, the sessions produced Marauder, an intimate collection issued in August 2018. The album reached number 23 on the Billboard 200, number six in the U.K., and the Top Ten in several European countries. May 2019 brought A Fine Mess, an EP drawn from the Marauder sessions. June 2020 saw Banks' project Muzz, also featuring former Walkmen drummer Matt Barrick and producer Josh Kaufman, release its self-titled debut. Around the same time Interpol commenced work on their next full-length. Remote collaboration during the COVID-19 pandemic gave way to in-person sessions in London with co-producers Moulder and Flood in 2021. The Other Side of Make-Believe, pairing subtly hopeful songwriting with atmospheric textures, emerged in July 2022.