MARAUDER
MATADOR
Following 2017’s 15th anniversary tour of sublime debut Turn On The Bright Lights, Interpol release their sixth album. While that record shimmered enigmatically through the early 21stcentury existential gloom, Marauder depicts a beefed-up, strident version of the band, with producer Dave Fridmann lending a live, imprecise analogue warmth to the simmering tension. Opener If You Really Love Nothing swings seductively before breaking into the slicing eighth-note riff and pounding drums of lead single The Rover, Paul Banks thrilling and threatening as he proffers “Come and see me, maybe you’ll die”. Banks’ writing is at its most autobiographical to date throughout, self-analysing on the mesmeric Stay In Touch: “Marauder chained of no real code/ Marauder breaks bonds/ Marauder stays long/ Plays with the real face on” and wonderfully on NYSMAW: “You’re reaching into my heart/ Grinding fists in my soul”. Indeed, the writing on Marauder is up there with Banks’ evocative best, but some fans may long for the dolent gloaming of Turn On The Bright Lights. Gary Walker
VERDICT 7/10