Interpol released a single and music video entitled “Gran Hotel” directed by Malia James. Paul Banks stated that the lyrics of “Gran Hotel” explained a sad story and heartbreak, the loss of character processing. Malia James as the director succeeded to make a strong music video that portrayed the cause of the loss. The single is inside their 7th album “The Other Side of Make-Believe” released after the single on July 15, 2022. The album itself contained 11 tracks.
Toni
The music video of this song offers a captivating fighting and dancing choreography that goes well with the melody of the song. The 2 stars are being chased by a dancing mass throughout the video. The song is opened with a melody of piano and slowly followed with drum, guitars, and other instruments.
Fables
The chant of drums and guitars directly welcomed the listener to the song. The guitar element is so strong in this song. “All is lost to time beyond the fables”, “I have foresaken you all
“I was mistakenly chose”, “Now I’m mistaking my own”, it’s obvious how the loss feels.
Into the Nights
A lilting guitar fills the intro of the song, followed by an up beat drum. The melody is quite slower than “Toni”, which is suitable for driving in the night time, just like the song that portrays night scenes.
Mr. Credit
We can hear the combination of drum and guitar opening the song, giving a more lively vibe. The combination is continuously presented until in the bridge, we are presented by a different guitar melody before entering the chorus. This song has a perfect up-and-down beat, making the song catchier.
Something Changed
This song has a music video that seems to be the continuation of “Toni”. The stars are still the same with “Toni”, but they are no longer being chased by a crowd, but by the police. The tempo is much slower than Mr. Credit, yet still we can hear the strong drum beat in it.
Renegade Heart
This song has a faster tempo, but still with dominant guitar and drum. The chorus seems to be the main highlight of the song, “The serpent spins, Around the silken cyclone, The world will bend, For one alone again, For one alone”.
Passenger
When we come to the first verse, we can see the name of the album “The Other Side of Make-Believe”. This song also mentions another track which is “Fable” in it. It seems that this song explains about someone who needs help, as in “I need something to hold, someone to grasp a, When I fall into a hole with a mountain on my back, Real Close”.
Greenwich
The combination of slow paced guitar melody and drum makes the song sound haunting. Interestingly, Interpol adds a female backing vocal here which is not found in other tracks, making the song more cosmic.
Gran Hotel
“Gran Hotel” music video shows despair with tears and screams from the stars. The plot is brought backwardly, so that we can see the chronological scenes why the stars scream in despair. Such a creative way to tell the story backwardly. Despite the depression shown, the song is brought in a fast and upbeat tempo.
Big Shot City
The tempo is quite energetic for a mystical song. The intro brings a casino vibe yet so tranquil. This song is much calmer than other tracks despite being energetic. The song has different key elements that make it different from other tracks. “Stop the operation” seems to be the highlight of the song for being repeated in every verse.
Go Easy (Palermo)
The guitar melody is gently opening the song. The energy is lower than other songs like “Gran Hotel”, “Toni”, and “Mr. Credit”, making it to be perfect as a closing song of the album. Just like the title, the song tells us to go easy on anything that we bring.
This year, Interpol will have a tour, starting on August 25, 2022 in Asbury Park until November 15, 2022 in Lima Arena. Have you listened to their album?
