On their first album in four years, the NYC post-punk veterans trade reiteration for refinement, producing their most layered and mature album yet.
The past two decades have not been kind to Interpol. The weight of their first two records, some of the most critically acclaimed in their respective genre, has weighed heavily upon them throughout their entire career, as every subsequent release has been doomed by comparison. Their attempts to deviate from their established sound on 2010’s self-titled release proved unpopular with fans and critics alike, and every album since has seen the band playing it too safe, sticking to a formula in which they’ve felt far too comfortable.
This Mirror Weighs a Ton proves different, however. Interpol have updated crucial elements of their sound, with an emphasis on instrumental and temporal variety, whilst being careful not to venture too far off the beaten path. The album weaves between focusing on Interpol’s main strengths and pushing their sound in more ambitious, richer directions; it is at its most interesting on the tracks that manage to do both, driving forward with new elements to appreciate.
Take the singles in the run up to this album. There’s the incredibly catchy ‘See Out Loud’ featuring additional lead vocals from guitarist Daniel Kessler, who has never been this vocally prominent on previous albums, and the results are fantastic. Conversely, ‘Iron City’ is a far more gradual and dejected release built upon piano chords, featuring a gorgeous refrain from a Rhodes piano twinkling in the background of the chorus under Paul Banks’ aching vocals. It’s these additions of broader ideas, enhancing Interpol’s ability to establish solid foundations, that make these tracks so invigorating.
The deeper cuts on this album further expand upon the ambition established by the singles. Both the closer ‘Sudden’ and ‘Enemy’ are anchored by repeating piano motifs that create chilling atmospheres, with ‘Enemy’ and the slow burn of the title track benefiting from wonderful guest vocals from Juliet Seger-Banks. The band also take the time to strip back their sound and deliver some great callback cuts such as ‘Wings on Fire’ and ‘Wounded Soldier’, proving that Interpol still know how to craft engaging post-punk hits.
The issue Interpol face in revising their sound while staying true to their roots is that the results can occasionally come off as disjointed. ‘Bird and the Serpent’ follows a formulaic structure that’s all too reminiscent of their previous work, before tacking an out-of-place bass clarinet outro. The album also starts considerably stronger than it finishes, with later tracks like ‘Even the Actor’ and ‘Wake Up’ coming across as somewhat derivative.
In many ways, This Mirror Weighs a Ton can be seen as Interpol’s New Abnormal, in which a seasoned band has successfully reminded us of what made their past material so appealing. It is both nostalgic and modern, looking back fondly on a landscape they helped create while injecting much-needed new ideas into the mix. We can only hope that they don’t follow up this impressive return to form with their own Reality Awaits.
Photo by Selina Begum for The Upcoming is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
