Interpol for lunch this afternoon – recorded at Primavera Sound on July 29, 2022 and broadcast by the venerable Radio Nacional España – RNE3
Interpol formed in 1997, their original line-up consisted of Paul Banks (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Daniel Kessler (lead guitar, backing vocals), Carlos Dengler (bass guitar, keyboards), and Greg Drudy (drums). Drudy left the band in 2000 and was replaced by Sam Fogarino. Dengler left to pursue other projects in 2010, with Banks taking on the additional in-studio role of bassist.
Having first performed at Luna Lounge alongside peers such as the Strokes, Longwave, the National, and Stellastarr, Interpol is one of the bands associated with the New York indie music scene and one of several groups that emerged from the post-punk revival of the 2000s. The band’s sound is generally a mix of staccato bass and rhythmic, harmonized guitar with a snare-heavy mix, drawing comparisons to post-punk bands such as Joy Division, Television and the Chameleons, and also to Echo & the Bunnymen and Siouxsie and the Banshees. The band has no primary songwriter, with each member contributing to composition.
Interpol began writing songs for a seventh studio album during the summer of 2020. The COVID-19 pandemic had impacted the way they wrote music; the band wrote in an Instagram post that they, at first, “had to use the internet to circulate ideas and collaborate remotely” before eventually being able to write music together in person at a house in the Catskill Mountains. They began recording the album in London during 2021 alongside producers Flood and Alan Moulder, the latter of whom previously mixed Interpol (2010) and El Pintor (2014). The album’s first single “Toni” premiered on April 7. The Other Side of Make-Believe and was released on July 15, 2022, along with a music video for “Gran Hotel”.
Beginning in 2023, Chris Broome filled in for drummer Sam Fogarino, who was recovering from spinal surgery.
On April 20, 2024, Interpol performed a free concert at the Zócalo in Mexico City to an estimated crowd of 160,000, the largest show of the band’s career.
Prior to embarking on a North and South America tour, on March 5, 2026 Interpol announced they would soon release a new album that Sam Fogarino co-wrote and played on. However, Fogarino would still be unavailable for touring, with Urian Hackney of Rough Francis and The Armed assuming drumming duties.
Okay – now you know (thanks Wikipedia and the Interpol website) – have a seat, relax, press Play and dive in.
