Interpol are back with their eighth album, This Mirror Weighs a Ton, which frontman Paul Banks calls their masterpiece. The band, now a quintet with bassist Brad Truax and keyboardist Brandon Curtis as full-time members, have delivered a record with vast emotional depth and political commentary.
A new chapter for Interpol
After a decade of predictable albums and the departure of bassist Carlos Dengler, Interpol have revitalized their sound. The new album features indie disco hits like Wake Up with bongos, a trip-hoppish opener, jazz-fusion synth solos, and the rare rock piano ballad Enemy. Produced by Andrew Wyatt, the album explores intimate human dramas alongside contemporary issues like the war in Ukraine and AI.
Banks, speaking in London, admits he wasn't proud of his lyrics on the previous album, The Other Side of Make Believe, which only reached No. 178 on the US charts. 'I felt as if I made some mistakes,' he says. 'I just didn't want to walk away with that feeling again.'
Fatherhood and fulfilment
Banks, now a father of two, credits fatherhood with giving him a sense of purpose. 'Having children is maximum fulfilment,' he says. 'If I'm going to have a job that keeps me away from my family sometimes, then I don't want any mediocre work.' He adds that fatherhood has made him 'a little bit more loving and a little bit less prone to holding on to grievances.'
Guitarist Daniel Kessler echoes the sentiment, saying that writing music 'exorcises angst, moodiness, depression.' He notes that Interpol were always apart from their 2000s NYC peers like the Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, lacking the same camaraderie but still enjoying a debauched lifestyle that he says wouldn't exist today due to social media.
Political awakening and AI fears
Banks has become more political, addressing issues like the Ukraine war and AI. The song Iron City is a dialogue with a future AI, while Wounded Soldier was inspired by drone footage from the Russia-Ukraine war. 'You can't get desensitised to that stuff,' Banks says, his voice trembling. He criticizes the Trump administration and Elon Musk, calling Musk 'dangerous and crazy' for spreading misinformation about the attack on Nancy Pelosi's husband.
Banks says he used to avoid politics, but now feels compelled to write about it. 'We live in a world where all of these arguments come down to how you can shape the hearts and minds of people who are susceptible to rhetoric.' He aims to revitalize language, quoting Kafka: 'Good writing should be like a sledgehammer to the frozen pond of the mind.'
Looking ahead
Despite the previous album's underperformance, Interpol are optimistic. They played arenas in Australia and New Zealand with Deftones, and in 2024 drew a crowd of 160,000 at a free concert in Mexico City. They will soon tour with pop star Sombr. Drummer Sam Fogarino is recovering from spinal surgery but is 'in a good place,' according to Kessler.
Banks reflects on his artistic drive: 'Desiring to take this chaos and put something beautiful there, I still feel that.' This Mirror Weighs a Ton is released on 28 August via Partisan.
