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Plus One
The 11 best Interpol songs
Why have a Top 10 when you can have one more? Here are the 11 best Interpol songs ahead of their co-headline tour with Bloc Party
When Interpol emerged from Manhattan in the late ‘90s, they did so with a kind of sharply honed menace that felt almost effortlessly cinematic. Built on wiry guitar lines, ice-cold bass grooves and Paul Banks’ deadpan poetry, their sound quickly became a cornerstone of the early-2000s post-punk revival – the sort of music that made every sticky venue floor feel like a noir film set and made everyone in the room want to start their own band.That ascent properly detonated with 2002’s Turn On The Bright Lights, an album that simultaneously introduced and perfected Interpol’s obsession with tension and release, bottling up the paranoia, romance and adrenaline of New York’s indie explosion into eleven moody and undeniably epic rock songs.
Two decades on, the band’s core remains just as potent as it did back then. Now a trio (Banks, guitarist Daniel Kessler and drummer Sam Fogarino, following bassist Carlos Dengler’s departure in 2010), they’ve continued to refine that signature gloom into something sleeker and stranger, most recently on 2022’s uncharacteristically uplifting The Other Side Of Make-Believe.
A band with a knack for keeping fans on their toes, never quite allowing them to predict their next move, in 2026 Interpol are set to hit the UK for a co-headline tour with fellow indie icons Bloc Party. Celebrating their almost 30-year career in some of the biggest venues across the country, now is the perfect time to dive back into the songs that have defined their journey.
11. ‘Toni’
(The Other Side Of Make-Believe, 2022)
It may not be one of their most immediate cuts, but the slow-burning intensity of ‘Toni’ creeps up on you in an irresistible way. Led by delicate piano lines and emotive strings, it leans into some of the sombre atmospherics Banks had recently explored alongside his supergroup side project Muzz (a collaboration with The Walkmen drummer Matt Barrick and legendary indie producer Josh Kaufman). It showcases a different side to Interpol, but with some of the band’s sharpest production to date, it’s proof that their subtler moments can be just as captivating as the direct hits.
10. ‘My Desire’
(El Pintor, 2014)
Clocking in at exactly five minutes, something about the opening riff to this song just makes you want to close your eyes and take it all in. A moment that feels almost transcendent during the band’s live show, from there it unfolds into a track overflowing with passion and desperation, building into something truly epic in its final moments. It also boasts one of the band’s finest music video moments courtesy of director Markus Lundqvist, documenting a man’s tormented tale through sinister hallucinations and gritty neo-noir visuals. Well worth a watch if you haven’t already seen it.
9. ‘No I In Threesome’
(Our Love To Admire, 2007)
Whilst Banks is often complimented on his ability to write poetically and evocatively, the humour that colours the frontman’s lyrics remains largely underappreciated. Centered on the story of a couple whose relationship has decayed over time, the majority of ‘No I In Threesome’ serves as a vague exploration of faded emotions, the narrator attempting to rationalise his cheating on his partner. Rounding out with the blunt delivery of ‘There’s no I in threesome // And I am all for it // Babe, it’s time we give something new a try’, that lyrical contrast underpinned by a simple piano melody, it’s got all the classic Interpol darkness – but this time it’s delivered with a wry smirk and a not-so-subtle shrug.
8. ‘Slow Hands’
(Antics, 2004)
Released as the first single from Antics, if you’re looking for an Interpol song you can dance to, this is the one for you. With driving guitar lines and a relentlessly punchy rhythm section, ‘Slow Hands’ surges with all the restless energy you expect from any great mid-2000s indie hit. Guaranteed to inject a fresh dose of energy into any crowd the second it kicks in; it’s also one of very few love songs in Interpol’s discography. With eye-watering lines like ‘You make me want to pick up a guitar // And celebrate the myriad ways that I love you’, it’s made its way onto a few wedding playlists for good reason.
7. ‘PDA’
(Turn On The Bright Lights, 2002)
Whilst the meaning behind many Interpol songs have fans arguing back and forth on online forums for years, this is about as direct as Banks has ever gotten. A visceral recount of a break-up, it’s also probably the angriest track Interpol have released, seething with bitterness, desperation, and denial. Just when you think you know where it’s headed, the whole track switches up after the second chorus, rounding out with some spectacular guitar interplay and soaring vocals from guitarist Daniel Kessler. Simply put, it’s a dynamic masterclass from some of the best in the game.
6. ‘Stay In Touch’
(Marauder, 2018)
The gothic masterpiece of Interpol’s sixth album, ‘Stay In Touch’ can be interpreted as either an ode to unrequited love or a confession of betrayal. Led by an ominous bass line, Banks’ lyrics paint a story of someone developing feelings for the partner of a friend with some of the most heart-wrenching poetry of his career. Gritty and dark yet unapologetically human, there are also some gorgeous guitar solos sprinkled throughout this one (the most spine-tingling of which comes in around the 2:15 mark).
5. ‘A Time To Be So Small’
(Antics, 2004)
Described by Banks in an interview as “possibly the first song ever to be written from the point of view of a crustacean”, ‘A Time To Be So Small’ comes from the perspective of a nautical creature, watching an argument between a father and son unfold upon a nearby boat. As whimsical as that may sound, lyrically it’s one of the most morbid in Interpol history. Closing out their 2007 album on an intoxicatingly haunting note, fans have spent years trying to unpick the details of the track’s story, but regardless of its meaning, it’s impossible not to feel something deep in your gut when that guitar line comes in just after the three-minute mark. Having recently made its way back onto their setlists after almost 20 years absent, let’s hope we get to hear Banks belting out ‘He whistles and he runs’ in these huge rooms later this year.
4. ‘Narc’
(Antics, 2004)
The genius of ‘Narc’ is how effortlessly it morphs Interpol’s signature darkness into something that feels almost joyous. Propelled by Fogarino’s crisp, insistent groove and a Kessler guitar line that just won’t let you catch your breath, it’s a sleek cut that constantly teeters on the edge of chaos, threatening to explode before dialling things back down. Teasing its way towards a final stretch of pure cat-and-mouse tension, the guitars growing more urgent with every bar, it’s a prime example of Interpol’s penchant for suspense. Keeping you on the edge of your seat with a smile that widens every time you’re caught off-guard, it’s what the Manhattan band do best.
3. ‘Obstacle 1’
(Turn On The Bright Lights, 2002)
Perhaps the most iconic of all Interpol tracks, the pulse-racing energy of ‘Obstacle 1’ had the entire scene in a chokehold upon its release in 2002 and has been a staple on indie club playlists ever since. Named in reference to the creative slump the band were attempting to overcome during its writing, it may be their most commercially successful cut, but it’s also one of their most compelling. Dark, brooding, and weird as hell in all the best ways, it’s the quintessential introduction to Interpol’s sound. Plus, there are few joys purer in life than standing in a room surrounded by roaring singalongs of ‘You go stabbing yourself in the neck’ during that chorus.
2. ‘Pace Is The Trick’
(Our Love To Admire, 2007)
Boasting arguably their best chorus to date, ‘Pace Is The Trick’ has become a firm fan favourite for a reason. A slower paced cut that pushes the band’s sound into a realm somewhere between menacing and sultry, the cadence of Banks’ vocal delivery creates an intoxicating atmosphere that grows with every line. If the rest of the song doesn’t hit you hard enough to bring goosebumps to your skin, the euphoric outro will surely be enough to do the trick. An indisputable top tier Interpol track, it’s time for this one to make a return to the setlist.
1. ‘The New’
(Turn On The Bright Lights, 2002)
Truth be told, any track from Interpol’s debut full-length could sit comfortably at the top spot of this list, but this six-minute slow-burn epic is long overdue its flowers. Tucked right near the end of the album’s tracklist, it’s the band’s most devastating lesson in dynamics, the quiet, creeping dread of its opening giving way to an inevitable eruption. It’s the perfect encapsulation of everything that made early Interpol so magnetic – the romantic ambiguity, the intensity, the almost playful way the instruments intertwine with one another. A rollercoaster of emotions guided by a heavenly bass line, it builds towards the most rewarding climax in the band’s discography. Really, it’s the kind of song that reminds you just what power music can hold, and if it makes the setlist this time around? Get ready to shed a tear or two.
