Trouble Sleeping? Have Your Doctor Prescribe You the New Interpol Album

One of the biggest NYC indie darlings from the early aughts return with unlucky album number seven

Whether it’s covid anxiety, doomscrolling, the collapse of western civilization, global warming, or an old-fashioned broken air conditioner, Americans are having a more challenging time falling asleep and staying asleep than ever. A new study from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine shows that almost 30% of the country has insomnia, and that percentage is probably higher since 64% of the country is using some form of sleep aid.

If you’re one of these people, look no further. The answer isn’t in benzos, melatonin, gummies, or even the most robust couch-locking indica, but, The Other Side of Make-Believe, the seventh album from the once celebrated band, Interpol.

I made a significant mistake by listening to the record for the first time in a car, and I’m glad I didn’t end up in the arroyo. Forget parental advisories for naughty words. The Other Side of Make-Believe should come with a warning not to operate heavy machinery while trudging through its 46-minute running time.

This is coming from someone that was a massive fan of their first few albums. Interpol’s debut, Turn on the Bright Lights, is an obvious indie classic, Antics was a solid second record, and I’ll even defend Our Love To Admire. But let’s be honest, no matter how many attempts at re-establishing themselves in the past decade-plus, things just haven’t been the same since founding bassist Carlos D (the coolest cat in a lineup of cool cats) left the group.

They are one of those bands I always give their new album a chance, even if expectations are low. I was hoping for a little more from their latest after naming Muzz, an indie supergroup involving Interpol singer Paul Banks, as my seventh favorite album of 2020. I still stand by this. Muzz pushed Banks into territory not explored with Interpol with fantastic results. With the first Interpol album since Muzz, I was hoping Banks could bring that creativity to Interpol’s broody old table.

Instead, the band has decided to take all the lethargic moments from their previous records and deliver an eleven-song set of snoozers. In classic bad album fashion, the opening track (and lead single) is the best. “Toni” makes the most of dozy atmospheres with guitarist Daniel Kessler trading in the six strings for piano, which provides some lovely textures for a rainy day. But Interpol’s worn-out riffs are a lot of my issue with their last handful of albums, and they jump right back into this habit with the aptly named “Fables” as if we are Fred Savage and Peter Falk has tucked us in to read a bedtime story.

This mood continues for the entire runtime, as “Into the Night” sounds as if it were ejected out of an Interpol song generator, and the Carlos D-less fuzz bass can’t save “Mr. Credit.” Kessler jumps back on piano for “Something Changed” for a nice break from the usual - maybe the path forward this group lays somewhere in the ivories.

I’ve listened to thing five times now, and there isn’t anything that stands out in the back half, the equivalent of forgettable midtempo Muzak. Instead of being crucial cogs in the New York indie machine that revived guitar rock in the mainstream twenty years ago, Interpol is now more of a forgettable opening act that sends you back to the bar for the next beer you were holding off on drinking until the headliner’s set.

The Other Side of Make-Believe is also disappointing as Flood, one of the most prolific producers to come out of the 90s alternative scene, is behind the boards for the record. When I think Flood, I think of Nine Inch Nails’ The Downward Spiral, U2’s Achtung Baby, or Smashing Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. You know, some real decade-defining albums. There’s no evidence of sonics expertise here, though, as Interpol stick to the same cave-y reverb we’ve always heard from them.

I don’t see where this album earns Interpol any new fans, but it sure makes them more monotonous for those who have followed their two-decade career. Here’s hoping for another Muzz album next time.

The Other Side of Make-Believe is available now on Matador.

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