Interpol – El Pintor

Interpol is a great band delivering fans just what they want: more Interpol....
Interpol : El Pintor
7.7 Matador
2014 

Interpol : El Pintor

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Once upon a time, Interpol was a breakthrough act from New York’s Lower East Side (back when Williamsburg was just a place to get good pierogis), heralding a new New Wave. Things turned sour when they went to a major label for the underwhelming Our Love To Admire (QRO review), but picked up again when the group returned to their original indie imprint, Matador, for the return-to-form Interpol (QRO review). Yet somehow El Pintor feels like another welcome return-to-form for the band.

When Interpol first came out, there were lots of bands like them also coming out, but by now neo-New Wave has been passed by neo-garage and neo-electronica, so El Pintor is able to feel fresh while also feeling very much like Interpol. Every song on the record sounds like Interpol, and that’s (once again) a good thing: it’s exactly what you’re looking for in a new Interpol album, starting with the pressure of opener/single “All the Rage Back Home”. The group can also get grander (the following “My Desire”), lower key (“Same Town, New Story”), or mix of both (“Anywhere”), and there are more atmospheric waves pieces as well (“Everything Is Wrong”, “Tidal Wave”).

Some folks will no doubt say that El Pintor is ‘just another Interpol record’. But Interpol is a great band delivering fans just what they want: more Interpol.

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