Interpol is reimagining material from its 2022 Matador album The Other Side of Make-Believe with help from several non-rock artists. Dubbed Interpolations, the series kicks off today (April 19) with celebrated jazz composer and drummer Makaya McCraven‘s thumping new version of “Big Shot City.”
Additional tracks will be released over the next few months, including Water From Your Eyes’ take on “Something Changed,” Daniel Avery’s version of “Greenwich,” Tortoise guitarist Jeff Parker’s revamp of “Passenger,” and a fresh spin on “Toni” by Jesu, the current project of Godflesh’s Justin Broadrick.
“From the Latin drum and bass rhythms applied to ‘Big Shot City’ by Makaya McCraven to the esoteric and propulsive soundscape created by Water From Your Eyes for ‘Something Changed,’ Interpolations is an exotic journey that reframes our songs and joins them to the vision of talented artists we admire,” the band says.
“Daniel Avery completely strips ‘Greenwich’ down to only a few of its component parts — allowing Juliet Seger’s angelic backing vocal to float hypnotically over driving electronic currents,” it continues. “And the reimaginings of ‘Passenger’ and ‘Toni’ by Jeff Parker and Jesu respectively round out this collection with flare, with re-contextualized arrangements underlining and often deepening the emotion, drama, and excitement of the originals. We are so excited that such a great collection of artists were able to connect with our music and we hope these songs connect with you.”
Also out today is a six-minute film shot during the making of The Other Side of Make-Believe by Atiba Jefferson.
Interpol has a busy year of touring ahead, resuming May 18 in Monterrey, Mexico, then proceeding to Europe for dates through late July. As previously reported, the group will also join Smashing Pumpkins for a three-week stint on The World Is a Vampire tour, starting Aug. 13 in Albuquerque, N.M.
