Interpol's Eighth Album Gets NME's Best-Since-'Antics' Verdict
New York post-punk veterans Interpol have released their eighth studio album, This Mirror Weighs A Ton, and NME has called it the band's strongest work since 2004's Antics. Frontman Paul Banks told the magazine it's a "no-skips" record.
What NME's review says
The album cover — a chandelier built from surveillance cameras — sets up the record's theme, according to NME's review: being watched by the modern world while turning that same scrutiny back on the band itself. It's the outlet's framing that places this album above everything Interpol has released since Antics.
Back to New York after a decade away
Interpol's 2022 album The Other Side Of Make-Believe was written apart during lockdown. This time, Banks told NME he wanted the band playing loud, together, in the same room — and This Mirror Weighs A Ton is the group's first album recorded in their home city of New York in more than ten years.
The record was produced by Andrew Wyatt, formerly of Miike Snow, who has recently worked with Liam Gallagher, Rosalía and Charli XCX. Longtime touring member Brad Truax contributed to the bass writing this time, which NME says gives the low end a clearer direction than it's had since Carlos D left the band in 2011.
Track highlights
- This Mirror Weighs A Ton: The title opener features backing vocals from Banks' wife Juliet Seger over a Massive Attack-like nocturnal groove; NME ranks it alongside "Untitled," "Next Exit" and "Pioneer To The Falls" as one of the band's best cinematic openers.
- See Out Loud: The lead single, a return to classic post-punk drive, with guitarist Daniel Kessler taking a rare lead vocal.
- Iron City: Fractured sounds depict an AI-invaded mind and deteriorating memory.
- Wounded Solder: A slow-burner drawing on relentless war coverage.
- Wings On Fire: An anxiety-driven, arena-sized single.
- Ever The Actor: Orchestral arrangement opens up space, marking the album's midpoint divide.
- So Rides The Reindeer: A Missy Elliott-style beat, handclaps and bittersweet acoustic guitar that NME says feels closer to Gorillaz.
- Darling Thoughts: Built around the interplay between drummer Sam Fogarino and Truax's bass.
- Wake Up: Talking Heads-style carnival groove and rough funk.
- Enemy: Kessler's piano lays a bed with shades of Nick Cave and Amnesiac-era Radiohead.
New label, new listeners
Interpol are currently signed to Partisan, label-mates with IDLES, Geese and PJ Harvey. The label says more than half of the band's 2.5 million monthly Spotify listeners are under 35.
NME notes that a new generation of listeners is rediscovering Turn On The Bright Lights and Antics, turning once-overlooked tracks like "Rest My Chemistry" into genuine hits.