Released: 2010
Genres: Post-Punk Revival, Gothic Rock
The Musiquarium’s Interpol Review Score: 3/5
After ditching the Matador label for Capitol for 2007’s Our Love to Admire, it seemed that Interpol had cognitive dissonance, as they came crawling back to their original label soon after. Label awkwardness aside, the album also suffered from the departure of bassist Carlos Dengler, who left before the album was even finished.
The album begins with Success, which would normally be fine as a song title, but it seems rather ham-fisted as the opener to such a mediocre album; Memory Serves is of a similar quality, not quite good or bad, but just there. Barricade and Lights make for decent enough singles (though not particularly memorable), though Summer Well and Try It On were much weaker choices, with the later having this piano riff that overstays its welcome, getting quite repetitive and annoying by the minute mark. Always Malaise (The Man I Am) and All of the Ways are clumsy ballads that both drone-on and meander, never going anywhere interesting.
Like the album cover, which shows Interpol’s logo being obliterated, this album feels like the destruction of their own brand of post-punk, rather than a statement of “this is who we are”, and like the cover, it’s also lacking in any colour. The worst thing about this record is how bored the band sounds on it, with none of the energy or urgency of their previous work. Interpol’s self-titled album is the sounds of a once great band running out of ideas, burnt out after a decade of touring and recording. I don’t blame Carlos Dengler for getting out while he was able to.
For credit breakdowns and historic release details, view Interpol on Discogs.
Back to the 2010 Album Reviews Guide or the Interpol Reviews page.
Written by Brett Nippard