Interpol Announce New Album The Other Side of Make-Believe, Release Lead Single “Toni”
“There’s always a seventh time for a first impression”
Photo by Atiba Jefferson
New York City post-punk mainstays Interpol are back with their seventh studio album, the follow-up to their 2019 EP A Fine Mess and 2018 full-length Marauder. Coming July 15 on Matador, The Other Side of Make-Believe is preceded by lead single and opening track “Toni,” out now alongside a cinematic video.
“Toni” is a mid-tempo, piano-forward track that finds frontman Paul Banks murmuring with uncharacteristic delicacy as he insists, “Still in shape, my methods refined.” Daniel Kessler’s staccato guitar chords remind you who you’re listening to, even as Samuel Fogarino’s off-kilter percussion subtly tries to throw you for a loop. The song builds to a crescendo dominated by Banks’ unusual croon, which becomes almost ghostly by the time things slow to a stop.
Directed by Van Alpert (Post Malone, Machine Gun Kelly), the “Toni” video is “the first installment of a two-part dance film,” per a press release, “with the second chapter to follow soon.”
“It was a blast working with Van Alpert on the video for our song ‘Toni,’” says Banks in a statement. “We bonded over shared film inspiration as well as a passion for classic music videos by the likes of Glazer, Cunningham and Jonze. Van, in my opinion, is in the club with these legends; and it’s exciting to watch him build his own enduring body of work.”
“I wrote a crazy idea that I felt was new for Interpol, a hyper-modern, cinematic dance film,” says Alpert. “A ‘Lover’s on the Run’ story, with a classic cliff-hanger ending. Dream job working for my all-time favorite band! Paul Banks ties everything together and elevated the concept, because he’s naturally a great actor, artist and collaborator.”
Interpol have a big year of touring ahead, including a two-night stand at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre on May 14-15, and late-May shows at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles and City Palacio De Los Deportes arena in Mexico City.
Watch the “Toni” video below and see the details of The Other Side of Make-Believe further down, along with Interpol’s tour dates.