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IN REVIEW: Interpol - "The Other Side of Make-Believe"

 

If you're ready to feel old, it's been twenty years since the release of Turn On the Bright Lights, Interpol's dark and thrilling debut. I can also imagine just how aged the band feels as well, having spent most of the time since that record's arrival under duress from fickle fans and critics who clamor for more of that lightning in a bottle; they were closest to replicating it while it was fresh in their minds on 2004 follow-up Antics but, for better and for worse, the majority of Interpol's discography since have been exercises in slowly distancing themselves from their signature sound.

On The Other Side of Make-Believe, their seventh LP, there are no blatant attempts at kowtowing to those hoping for the clock to turn back twenty years, nor any bold steps toward unforeseen territory; instead, we're given a batch of well-written, well-performed, well-produced tunes that fall somewhere in the middle. Longtime mixer Alan Moulder is back along with first-time Interpol producer Flood, so it's naturally a great sounding album (and certainly easier on the ears than the typically suffocating treatment Dave Fridmann gave previous album Marauder), and it's never lacking in professional quality.

That said, while there are some clear advancements in production and a few tentative glances at experimentation, much of the album is mired in a grey mush of mid-tempo material that rarely takes the listener anywhere interesting. Granted, my head space may be skewed by recently spent hours with the wild new black midi record, but The Other Side of Make-Believe seems stuck in the same gear most of the time despite the attempted evolution.

To be clear, the results aren't bad, even when they're tinkering; lead singles Toni and Something Changed get their sonic bases not from angular guitars, but from piano, Into the Night features an odd time signature that's almost proggy in its knottiness, and Renegade Hearts turns out both the record's most energetic track but also its most percussive. Elsewhere, there are occasional experimental touches such as the eerie atmosphere of Passenger, the haunted and ethereal intro to Gran Hotel, or the stuttering guitar on Big Shot City. 

However, like I said, it's all presented with very little variance in tempo or overall feeling, and these tempos and feelings are for the most part typical of what we've already heard from Interpol. What's most frustrating about The Other Side of Make-Believe is that it's a collective disappointment; no individual track falls well short of the rest, and no individual track is clearly better than the rest. It's a competent, expertly made album that unfortunately operates within a very narrow scope, like a meal consisting of wagyu beef with a little bit of garnish and no sides. Sure, it tastes good and I wholly respect the craft, but I would have dearly loved some potatoes and carrots to go with it.

July 15, 2022 • Matador
Highlights Toni • Into the Night • Renegade Hearts

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