Taking a different tack than they did on 2018's jolting
Marauder,
Interpol lean into the quieter, shadowy aspects of their style on
The Other Side of Make-Believe. Since
Turn on the Bright Lights' "Untitled," the band's contemplative side has been a vital part of their music, and at times, the inward-looking drift of their seventh album works well. This is especially true of
Make-Believe's bookends: "Toni" begins the album promisingly with billowing piano and a graceful vocal from
Paul Banks, while the pleading "Go Easy (Palermo)" ends it with an uncertainty that feels like an apt summation of life in the early 2020s.
The Other Side of Make-Believe doesn't truly come together until its second half.
Interpol pick up the pace a little with the haunted, nomadic romance of "Gran Hotel," and if the spiky guitars and galloping beat of "Renegade Hearts" sound familiar, they also sound good. Conversely, "Passenger" achieves a mellow stream-of-consciousness flow when it glides into its euphoric choruses. Best of all is "Something Changed," where
Fogarino's slinky beat adds elegance to
Banks' ruminations. Similarly, the noirish storytelling of "Big Shot City" is a welcome addition to the song's mystique.
The Other Side of Make-Believe offers plenty of mood and a little bit of innovation from a band still revealing nuances to their sound 20 years after their debut. ~ Heather Phares
