While listening to Interpol’s self-titled fourth album for the first time, a song came on that caught my attention. It was upbeat and familiar, and I thought “finally, a song I can embrace.” But then I quickly realized the song’s album title was mislabeled, and it was actually from the band’s previous album Our Love to Admire.
So I went back and listened to Interpol again to see if I missed something. I didn’t… but the band sure did.
Sure, Interpol is derivative, aping Joy Division and Echo & The Bunnymen for a sound you’ve heard before, but damn if the band doesn’t fill albums with catchy hooks. What made Interpol was those thrilling moments in their songs — the arpeggios in PDA, the pop snare on Evil — that you find in no other post-punk revival band.
But this self-titled effort is a long sad dirge. The opening track, inaptly named “Success,” feels like it’s going to rise but never does, flowing into the five-minute “Memory Serves” (which I’d just as soon forget). “Lights,” the album’s first single, has some solid moments and perks up the album a bit, as does “Barricade” with its sing-along chorus and churning guitar.
But then the aptly-named “Always Malaise (The Man I Am)” sends the album into a tailspin from which it never recovers. The final two tracks, “All of The Ways” and “The Undoing,” combine for 10 minutes of bland indulgence, bringing a painful end to an album lacking potential and might.
I questioned bassist Carlos D’s decision when he left the band earlier this year, but maybe he had it right. If this is what Interpol has in mind going forward, it is time to move on.
