Followers

Friday, June 8, 2018

Interpol's sixth album slated for August

photo: J. Medina
On Aug. 24, Interpol will unveil Marauder via Matador Records. First single, “The Rover,” can be heard HERE. Worldwide tour dates were also announced.

Fans that pre-order Marauder directly from the Interpol store will get first access to ticket pre-sales for the new shows, which include Madison Square Garden, Hollywood Bowl, and Royal Albert Hall. The full list of tour dates can be found below.

Last year, band members Daniel Kessler, Paul Banks, and Sam Fogarino worked on new material inside the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ rehearsal space in Manhattan.

Once, the trio were playing with such force and volume, that a neighbor called the police, forcing them out of the practice space. “We ruined it for everyone,” reflects Daniel. “It seemed like you’re picking on the wrong rock band,” adds Sam with a laugh. “It’s not like we’re Mastodon. I mean, in certain circles, we’re considered wimps!”

“Marauder is a facet of myself. That’s the guy that fucks up friendships and does crazy shit. He taught me a lot, but it’s representative of a persona that’s best left in song. In a way, this album is like giving him a name and putting him to bed," explains Banks.

Over the last 18 months, fans reveled in the 15th anniversary tour celebrating the seminal 2002 debut Turn On the Bright Lights. For the first time since 2007’s Our Love to Admire, Interpol have opened themselves up to the input of a producer. For two-week spells between December of 2017 to April of 2018, they travelled to upstate New York to work with Dave Fridmann (Mercury Rev, Flaming Lips, MGMT).

The New Yorkers arrived at his remote and frequently snowbound Tarbox Studios with most of Marauder tightly rehearsed and worked out. Fridmann made sure that their meticulous work in crafting a virile and visceral set of songs didn’t get flattened during recording. It was his suggestion to skip the Pro Tools, and record directly two-inch tape. It’s a decision that allows a leaner and more muscular Interpol to flex throughout the album.

Sam says, "On El Pintor, we were riding on the novelty aspect of Paul playing bass, and enjoying what a good job he was doing,” referring to the 2014 album the band recorded without original bassist Carlos Dengler. “But this time, it was a case of ‘you’re the bass player.’ I think now he felt comfortable to explore. He’s not just jumping into save the day, he’s applying himself and his voice as a bassist.”

Paul may have stepped out of the shadows as a bassist, but he’s stepping into an even brighter light as a songwriter. During Interpol’s previous albums, the singer largely kept himself out of his own work, preferring to fill his lyrics with detached thoughts, characters, and observations, often phrased in abstract. But more than 20 years on since forming at NYU, the frontman is finally allowing himself to play a role in his own stories.

“This record is where I feel touching on real things that have happened to me are exciting and evocative to write about,” he explains. “I think in the past, I always felt autobiography was too small a thing for me to reference. I feel like now, I’m able to romanticize parts of my own life.”

It’s an attitude that’s also reflected in the album’s cover; a Garry Winogrand shot of Attorney General Elliot Richardson, who in 1973, dramatically resigned after refusing President Nixon’s orders to fire special prosecutor Archibald Cox, who was then leading an investigation into the growing Watergate scandal. Richardson cuts a lonely, isolated figure, naked to scrutiny in a spare and artificial looking room.

“A lot of being accountable has to do with being honest,” says Paul, referring to both his lyrics, and the cover. A sense of reckoning is inextricably part of the album as a whole.

Track listing:

1. If You Really Love Nothing
2. The Rover
3. Complications
4. Flight of Fancy
5. Stay in Touch
6. Interlude 1
7. Mountain Child
8. NYSMAW
9. Surveillance
10. Number 10
11. Party's Over
12. Interlude 2
13. It Probably Matters

Tour Dates:

6/25 – Wien, Austria – Arena Wien Open Air
6/26 – Sesta Al Reghena, Italy – Sexto Nplugged
6/27 – Zagreb, Croatia – INmusic Festival
7/1 – Glasgow, UK – TRNSMT festival
7/5 – Roskilde, Denmark – Roskilde Festival
7/7 – London, UK – Hyde Park – w/ The Cure
8/24 – Brooklyn, NY – House of Vans
9/14-16 – Chicago, IL – Riot Fest
10/4 – Los Angeles, CA – Hollywood Bowl – w/ The Kills, Sunflower Bean
10/6 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre – w/ The Kills, Sunflower Bean
11/6 – Tokyo, Japan – Akasaka Blitz
11/14 – London, UK – Royal Albert Hall
11/24 – Copenhagen, Denmark – TAP1
11/29 – Paris, France – La Salle Pleyel
2/16 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden – w/ Car Seat Headrest, Snail Mail

No comments: