From Billboard.com:
New York rock act Interpol will release its highly anticipated sophomore album, "Antics," Sept. 28 via Matador. The 10-track set is highlighted by the dancefloor-worthy "Slow Hands," the slow, fragmented "Public Pervert," the foreboding "Length of Love" and "NARC," which veers from jagged guitars in its verses to lush chord changes in its chorus.
The latter two cuts were previously debuted live on tours in support of 2002's "Turn on the Bright Lights," which reached No. 4 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart and No. 5 on the Top Independent Albums tally. The set has sold 289,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
"Sonically, it's a really big growth for the band," guitarist Daniel Kessler tells Billboard.com. "We really challenged ourselves. Every single song has a giant identity and a personality. By the time you've gotten to track four, you may not remember what track one sounded like. Every track is a voyage. You really have to listen to the record a few times to really get a hold of the whole entity."
While basic tracks were recorded relatively quickly with "Turn on the Bright Lights" engineer Peter Katis behind the boards, Kessler says the band took its time mixing some of the more intricate songs. "'Not Even Jail' is lush and has a lot of sounds and detail," he says. "Making sure we had the right balance on that took more work than something like 'Evil,' in which everything has its purpose. Don't get me wrong; nothing was a piece of cake. Every song took its time, but none more than the other."
Kessler says its difficult for him to describe the sound of "Antics," which features a handful of cuts that come off as more upbeat than material from the debut album. "People may say some songs aren't as dark," he observes. "But for us, it just all makes sense. It wasn't a strategic departure. We never really said we'd be an overly dark band, although people may listen to us and interpret us that way. We operate in such a different individual way from each other that when we're all on the same page, we know we're onto something."
As previously reported, Interpol will play the main stage of the Cure's Curiousa Festival alongside the Rapture and Mogwai. The tour kicks off July 24 at the Sound Advice Amphitheater in West Palm Beach, Fla. "We'll be playing new songs from the record, but as far as which ones, I don't know yet," Kessler says.
The guitarist says Interpol will likely begin a North American headlining tour in October, but such details are months away from crossing Kessler's radar. "I'm just trying to put my affairs in order for the next year," he says with a laugh. "It's like putting your estate to rest!"
In conjunction with the release of "Antics," Matador is sponsoring a contest to create 10 short films inspired by Interpol's music. Interested parties are asked to submit treatments to the label by July 5, with 10 finalists to be bestowed with $1,000 and a 60-second fragment of music from the album in which to create their films. Visit the label's Web site for full details.
Here is the track list for "Antics":
"Next Exit"
"Evil"
"NARC"
"Take You on a Cruise"
"Slow Hands"
"Not Even Jail"
"Public Pervert"
"C'mere"
"Length of Love"
"A Time To Be So Small"
-- Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.
