
Interpol looked like a band before they ever sounded like one. They were stylish New Yorkers determined to bring the darkness and mystery of post-punk to modern rock. Swept up in the 2000s rock revival, the best Interpol songs are anthems for a new generation.
Interpol is one of those bands where the look of the band perfectly describes their sound. The black-and-white photos of the stylishly dressed American musicians give you a good hint in the musical world you are stepping into.
I think that we’re fortunate to have a lot of good post-punk-revival bands. Few, if any, managed to be as impactful as Interpol.
That’s why today I’m pulling down my darkest shades, calling my tailor, and hanging up a picture of Ian Curtis. Here are the 10 best Interpol songs.

10. “Obstacle 1” – from the album “Turn on the Bright Lights” (2002)
You never knew just how much you liked Joy Division until you heard Interpol. But, somehow, the American quartet managed to create something original and moving with “Obstacle 1.”
It’s all dark, expressionistic art, of course. You wouldn’t be able to recite the words to “Obstacle 1” unless your knowledge of English forced you to misread the weight of their poetry.
No, where Interpol shone on their monumental debut album, “Turn on the Bright Lights,” was in making slim, tense arrangements sound grandiose and memorable. Matador Records knew what they were signing.
Reviews for this hipster-approved 2000s rock revival record made the Pope’s Christmas prayer sound tame and uninterested.
9. “PDA” – from the album “Turn on the Bright Lights” (2002)
It was easy to understand where Ian Curtis‘ dissatisfaction stemmed from. The stylish Paul Banks, meanwhile, has to work hard to nurture a conflict, but “PDA” sounds intriguing nonetheless.
The song also benefits from a booming, great drum sound courtesy of Sam Fogarino. Guitarist Daniel Kessler‘s use of simple, but grandiose sounding chords fills out the sonic realestate. It gives “PDA” an almost garage-rock groove to accompany Banks’ detached vocal performance.
The lyrics, once more, are nearly impenetrable. But it’s easy to speculate that Banks is singing about breaking up with a supermodel or fighting a supermodel for the number of the best hairdresser in Manhattan. There aren’t many Interpol love songs, but this one moves closest to being one.
8. “Rest my Chemistry” – from the album “Our Love to Admire” (2007)
Describing Interpol songs using words is a bit like describing abstract art to a blind person.
No, the music needs to be judged on its own merit. Good Inteprol songs either make you sad or they don’t. “Rest my Chemistry” makes you miserable.
But not like a lousy bum walking the streets. No, Interpol deals in stylish depression. “Rest my Chemistry” sounds like the alternative soundtrack to a 1970s Alain Delon movie in which he’s shooting enemies with eyes closed while smoking a cigarette and looking impossibly cool doing it.
7. “Slow Hands” – from the album “Antics” (2004)
Interpol was one of many New York City bands that got successful at approximately the same time. Most of the other bands could make their crowds dance. With “Slow Hands,” Interpol had its own tune that encouraged crowd movement. There wouldn’t be many occasions, so crowds were encouraged to shimmy while they could.
Bands like The Strokes and Yeah Yeah Yeahs were born out of the tradition NYC punk and garage-rock. But, as the documentary “Meet Me in the Bathroom” shows, they could entertain.
Interpol was a different proposition. The band’s aim was to dazzle and create distance between them and the audience. “Slow Hands,” however, marries their monochrome stylings with a chorus to which their new fans could tap their feet.
6. “No I in Threesome” – from the album “Our Love to Admire” (2007)
Interpol has many qualities, but humor isn’t one for which they are particularly renowned. Despite this, “No I In Threesome” is a title that resembles a joke.
There’s no time for giggling, however. The bass-heavy track, provided by Carlos Dengler, zeroes in on the strain of a failing relationship.
Like a student movie attempting to capture the essence of Ingmar Bergman’s “Wild Strawberries,” “No I in Threesome” does not rest until all of the nostalgia of the piece has been fully absorbed.
5. “The Rover” – from the album “Marauder” (2018)
Nobody expected Interpol to last as long as they did, and, besides hardcore fans, few casual listeners stuck around after their third album. “The Rover,” however, proves that the Interpol band and brand can still find new ways of telling us that we’re all doomed.
Joy Division’s work is admired for being nearly faultless. Of course, Ian Curtis’ death meant that the Manchester group only recorded two albums.
At times, it’s seemed that Interpol has exhausted its post-punk formula. When they inject a bit of quirkiness into their familiar sound, as on “The Rover,” the group proves that continued interest in their work remains warranted.
For the record, I considered including “If You Really Love Nothing” from the album “Marauder” as another latter-day highlight, but decided on the sane decision of focusing on the band’s first three albums.
4. “Untitled” – from the album “Turn on the Bright Lights” (2002)
If their New York counterparts, The Strokes, seemed to have captured the party days pre-2001, Interpol’s debut studio album certainly seemed to soundtrack the confusion that lingered after the tragic events of 9/11.
“Untitled,” the opening track, lays out the band’s blueprint. They have big statements to make. What they’re trying to say is so big, in fact, that they’re not going to attempt to use words to spread their message.
“Untitled” captures the essence of a band that, at times, manages to paint with sound on a very large canvas.
3. “C’mere” – from the album “Antics” (2004)
“C’mere” is one of the most memorable Interpol songs and a rare attempt at writing a pop record.
The theme we are left to assume, once again, centers around the tragedy of a broken relationship. But, on this one, Paul Banks sings with glee about falling out of love with someone who is also falling in love with someone else.
Romantic triangles are something common in Interpol songs, but the chorus, hooky synths, and simple structure make this one of the band’s most enjoyable releases. The Killers called Interpol their biggest influence, and I can’t quite shake the feeling that they must’ve been talking about “C’mere.”
2. “The Heinrich Maneuver” – from the album “Our Love to Admire” (2007)
Interpol’s lyrics have always read like the confused diary entry of a depressed Hollywood actor. But never have the words felt more bitter than o the song “The Heinrich Maneuver.”
Style over substance may be a complaint critics often throw at the group. But, listening to Paul Banks yell “Today, my heart swings,” it’s hard not to believe that there’s some truthful passion moving the singer.
1. “Evil” – from the album “Antics” (2004)
Some bands spend their entire career on a song that defines their style. Interpol found it on their second album with the undeniably dark and catchy “Evil.”
The lyrics may well be about the feelings of the accomplice to a mass murderer, but you wouldn’t know it by hearing them.
What “Evil” proposes, however, is to meld Carlos Dengler’s exceptional bass riff with Paul Banks’ dispassionate vocals into a groove that reaches a perfectly satisfying conclusion in the song’s chorus. No wonder that it’s Inteprol’s biggest hit.
The memorable video rendered Banks’ image through the medium of puppetry. The fact that it played on heavy rotation on MTV was a real triumph for a band whose members were gun holster and Deutsche Junge fashion attire yet were somehow absent from their most famous video.
Ian Curtis never wrote anything as immediate as this. “Evil” is a great song from a band that, when enjoyed in small doses, can be amazing.
Many groups have copied Joy Division. Few have been as shameless as Interpol, but almost none has done it as well, either.
Check out Alt77’s playlist of the best Inteprol songs here: