Interpol, Marauder
05 10

Interpol Marauder Matador

24.08.18

Nostalgia is a killer – and Interpol should know more than most. Last year they took their iconic debut album Turn On the Bright Lights for a 15th anniversary victory lap around the globe, celebrating their position as one-time leaders of NYC’s indie rock scene. The record’s success has dogged them ever since, and following up a return to the glory days such as those is no mean feat – a pitfall Marauder is testament to.

For what it’s worth, Interpol’s sixth full-length is not a total flop. The surging, high-gain guitar work that propelled them to indie-rock royalty back in the early 00s is present and correct on the likes of If You Really Love Nothing and stomping lead single The Rover, while Stay In Touch rollicks like a dusty, Deep Southern wrestler’s intro theme. Elsewhere though, it’s less of a fighter. Where former bassist (and long-time band albatross) Carlos D’s old basslines felt urgent, Marauder’s feel like an afterthought – a likely by-product of Banks’ on-the-job learning of the instrument, and their refusal to draft in a more experienced four-stringer

Marauder is a mixed bag. A tick-box of Interpol’s best bits, with none of the magic of their heyday. And for a record named after – and supposedly about – a rampaging inner demon, it just feels so very safe.