Interpol have shared new track ‘The Weekend’ and announced the upcoming EP ‘A Fine Mess’. Check out all details along with our interview with frontman Paul Banks below.

After the surprise release of the title track ‘A Fine Mess‘ back in January, now the NYC trio have announced the release of a five track EP in the run-up to their packed summer festival schedule. The latest offering comes with ‘The Weekend’, another new track following on from the dark and raucous mood of 2018’s acclaimed ‘Marauder‘.

“These are all upbeat rockers,” frontman Paul Banks told NME. “They’re not b-sides. They’re all pretty rich rock songs with big choruses. It’s all material that we can see being played in a club with people dancing. Sometimes when you turn on an Interpol record you expect people to not be dancing because it’s coming from a more pensive or melancholy place. This is a place rocking EP.”


As for the lyrics of the EP, Banks continued: “’Marauder’ was a little more reflective, and this one’s more about taking the party by the horns. Maybe the lyrics are a little devious and mischievous. There’s no shame to that.”

Due for release on May 17, the EP was recorded during recent downtime in Upstate New York with Dave Fridmann

“We had the idea of the EP to be a separate batch of songs to be part of this whole campaign,” Banks told NME. “We’ve refined the material since then. It’s not like ‘Marauder songs on the EP’, it was always supposed to be a separate EP and a body of work in its own right.

“It’s a good way to interact with fans these days. In hip-hop they put out mixtapes between records and it’s a good method. We’re engaged and active right now so it’s good to double down and turn the party up a notch.”

So with the band so engaged, will we hear more new material in the near future?


“I don’t know if we’re going to step into the world of doing a series of EPs,” Banks added. “I think it’s more likely that the next thing we do will be a full-length record, but who can say? We don’t actually have any concrete plans beyond this EP.”

Among the five new songs is ‘Real Life’, which was aired on the band’s ‘Turn On The Bright Lights’ 15th anniversary tour back in 2017. The band have a celebrated history of renewing old rarities and releasing them, however it sounds like their isn’t too much left in the vault.

“We might have exhausted the stores a little at this point,” Banks admitted. “I don’t hate the idea of putting out all the old material and cleaning out the archive to share that stuff, but I am more interested in new material.”

Ahead of select headline shows and an appearance at Glastonbury 2019, Interpol’s next major UK show will be performing at London’s All Points East alongside the likes of The Strokes and The Raconteurs.

“What a line-up!” said Banks of the gig. “That sounds fucking amazing. I’m definitely excited to play a really, really strong rock bill. With a festival crowd, that will be great. No idea what the scene will be like. Maybe there will be backstage shenanigans? Maybe there will be a pingpong table? Holy shit. If there’s an espresso machine, then I’m happy.”

Do the band have any vices left now?

“I’m all about the art and whatever best serves my ability to stay a happy and productive artist. That’s what I partake of, and whatever that may be.”

Interpol perform at All Points East in London’s Victoria Park on Saturday May 25. Visit here for tickets and more information.