Interpol Begin Work on New Album

BY Alex HudsonPublished Oct 5, 2012

In the past couple of years, the members of Interpol have dispersed somewhat, with bassist Dave Pajo leaving the group (following the prior departure of Carlos Dengler) and frontman Paul Banks gearing up for a new solo album. Now, having just announced a 10th anniversary reissue of their landmark album, Turn on the Bright Lights, the band have revealed that work has begun on a new disc.

Banks told MTV Hive, "I think it's good to indicate to people that we are not breaking up. There will be more music, and I feel really good about it."

While there is still a lot that the Interpol "[need] to figure out as a band," they have begun playing some new material. Guitarist Daniel Kessler has several new songs in the works, and the band recently convened to jam on some of the tunes.

"It went really fast and I think we're all really excited," Banks said. "Daniel's writing all the time, and as you may know, he's a poker-faced kind of dude. But what I've heard of his new songs, they're excellent."

We can expect these new songs to sound different from past Interpol albums thanks to the departure of founding member Dengler, who left the band following the sessions for 2010's self-titled LP, which was the band's fourth overall. "The keyboard stuff was always Carlos," explained Banks of the band's sonic shift.

The band still don't have a full-time bassist, and it remains to be seen whether they will find a full-time replacement for Dengler. Interpol's next album is likely still a ways off, but in the meantime, the singer will release Banks on October 23 on Matador. The Turn on the Bright Lights reissue will follow on November 19 on the same label.

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