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The Other Side of Make-Believe
Studio album by Interpol
Released	July 15, 2022
Recorded	September 2021 – January 2022
Studio	Battery, London
Genre	Post-punk revival
Length	45:39
Label	Matador
Producer	Flood
Interpol chronology
A Fine Mess (2019) The Other Side of Make-Believe (2022)
Singles from The Other Side of Make-Believe
"Toni" Released: April 7, 2022 "Something Changed" Released: April 12, 2022 "Fables" Released: May 18, 2022 "Gran Hotel" Released: July 12, 2022

The Other Side of Make-Believe is the seventh studio album by American rock band Interpol, released on July 15, 2022, through Matador Records. Produced by Mark "Flood" Ellis and mixed by Alan Moulder, the album was recorded between September 2021 and January 2022 at Battery Studios in London. The songs "Toni", "Something Changed", "Fables", and "Gran Hotel" were released as singles in promotion of the album. The album title comes from the opening lyrics of the track "Passenger".

Music and recording

The album was written entirely during the COVID-19 pandemic. It marked the group's first writing sessions not in person, with Paul Banks in Edinburgh, Daniel Kessler in Spain, and Sam Fogarino in Athens, Georgia; they corresponded via email. In the summer of 2021, the three reunited for continued songwriting and rehearsals in a group of houses in the Catskills, and in the autumn began recording of the album in North London with Alan Moulder and Flood, the former of whom previously mixed the band's fourth and fifth albums, Interpol (2010) and El Pintor (2014). Banks commented on the uplifting sound of the album, contrary to their trademark typically gloomy tone: "A few of the songs in particular have really unabashedly positive sentiments... something that feels good is the aspiration."

The album's lead single, "Toni", was released on April 7, 2022, alongside the album's announcement. A music video accompanied the single, directed by Van Alpert; the end of the video alludes to a forthcoming second part of the video which was unveiled on April 12 by the release of the video to a new song called "Something Changed". This video features two of the same cast as well as singer Paul Banks driving around in an unmarked police car. On May 18, the band unveiled a new single for the forthcoming album named “Fables” with a lyric video. On July 12, Interpol put out their new single "Gran Hotel" with accompanying music video, which was exclusively released on the band's Facebook page. The music video was later released on other platforms on July 15 with the release of the full album.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	72/100
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
Clash	8/10
The Daily Telegraph
The Guardian
musicOMH
NME
Pitchfork	6.2/10
Rolling Stone
Slant
Sputnikmusic	4.5/5

The Other Side of Make-Believe received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 72 based on 21 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Track listing

All tracks are written by Interpol (Paul Banks, Sam Fogarino, Daniel Kessler)

Personnel

Personnel adapted from album liner notes, Tidal, and interviews with the band.

Charts

References

1. ^ Simon K. (July 14, 2022). "Review: Interpol - The Other Side of Make-Believe". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
2. Coulombe, Bruno (July 14, 2022). "Interpol Remain Locked in the Same Groove on 'The Other Side of Make-Believe'". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
3. Corcoran, Nina (April 7, 2022). "Interpol Announce New Album The Other Side of Make-Believe, Share Video for New Song "Toni": Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
4. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (November 11, 2021). "Interpol Discuss Their 'Uplifting,' 'Positive,' 'Intimate' New LP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
5. ^ "The Other Side of Make-Believe by Interpol Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
6. Phares, Heather (July 15, 2022). "Interpol - The Other Side of Make-Believe Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
7. Murray, Robin (July 14, 2022). "Interpol - The Other Side of Make-Believe". Clash. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
8. Perry, Andrew (July 15, 2022). "Lizzo strikes pop gold, and Mabel has a big night out - the week's best albums". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
9. Petridis, Alexis (July 7, 2022). "Interpol: The Other Side of Make-Believe review – a subtle change in temperature". The Guardian. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
10. Horton, Ross (July 13, 2022). "Interpol - The Other Side of Make-Believe". musicOMH. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
11. Trendell, Andrew (July 14, 2022). "Interpol – 'The Other Side Of Make Believe' review: subtle explorations of mood, rhythm and romance". NME. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
12. Cohen, Ian (July 19, 2022). "Interpol: The Other Side of Make-Believe Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
13. Grow, Kory (July 12, 2022). "Interpol Are a Little More Joyful and Somewhat Less Divisive on 'The Other Side of Make-Believe'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 12, 2022.
14. Bedenbaugh, Thomas (July 11, 2022). "Interpol The Other Side of Make-Believe Review: A Pastiche of the Band's Past". Slant Magazine. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
15. The Other Side of Make-Believe (liner notes). Interpol. Matador Records. 2022. OLE-1875.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
16. "Credits / The Other Side of Make-Believe / Interpol". Tidal. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
17. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 25 July 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1690. Australian Recording Industry Association. July 25, 2022. p. 6.
18. "Austriancharts.at – Interpol – The Other Side of Make-Believe" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
19. "Ultratop.be – Interpol – The Other Side of Make-Believe" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
20. "Ultratop.be – Interpol – The Other Side of Make-Believe" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
21. "Dutchcharts.nl – Interpol – The Other Side of Make-Believe" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
22. "Top Albums (Week 29, 2022)". Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
23. "Offiziellecharts.de – Interpol – The Other Side of Make-Believe" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
24. "Irish Albums Chart: 22 July 2022". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
25. "Portuguesecharts.com – Interpol – The Other Side of Make-Believe". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 31, 2022.
26. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
27. "Top 100 Albums Weekly". El portal de Música. Promusicae. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
28. "Swisscharts.com – Interpol – The Other Side of Make-Believe". Hung Medien. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
29. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 22, 2022.
30. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 23, 2022.
31. "Interpol Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
32. "Interpol Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
33. "Interpol Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
34. "Interpol Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2022.

• 2022 albums
• Interpol (band) albums
• Matador Records albums