The Smiths, Joy Division, The Cure, and The Flaming Lips are just some of the bands who influenced the early 2000s indie rock band Interpol. Interpol marked a new era in music containing a resurgence of post-punk and indie rock. The term “early 2000s indie” covers more than bands who came up in the 2000s; some of these bands haven’t released music since the 90s. However, Interpol is one of the most influential bands of this era, along with The Arctic Monkeys, Neutral Milk Hotel, and The Strokes. The early 90s and 2000s saw a huge leap in technology allowing music to become available virtually with platforms such as Napster and Pandora. Artists such as Eminem, Brittany Spears, and Bjork were booming on these platforms and the age of indie rock was a total 180. Indie-Rock saw a huge leap in listeners once the genre became available to a larger audience allowing these bands the opportunity to start a new wave of music. 

“Turn On The Bright Lights”, Interpol’s debut album, features Paul Julian Banks, the lead singer, songwriter, guitarist, and bassist. This album is flawless through and through, not only did it change the indie music scene but it influenced many artists for years to come. The singer’s baritone voice and uncommon musical style make this band stand out from the other bands at the time. The emotion throughout this album feels unfamiliar, however, a deep part of you knows exactly what you’re feeling. It’s very rare for an artist to do what Interpol did with “Turn On The Bright Lights” with the haunting and touching lyricism and intriguing guitar and bass playing. They open the album with “Untitled”, first, you hear a fascinating guitar riff that instantly draws you in for what’s to come next. Then the drums enter, solidifying the energy of the rest of the song. The most special part of this song though is the lyrics, when a song can say so much by saying so little it’s a sign that not only the song is special, but the songwriter is gifted. “Surprise, sometimes, will come around; Surprise, sometimes, will come around; I will surprise you sometime; I’ll come around; Oh, I will surprise you sometime, I’ll come around; When you’re down” are the only lyrics the song presents. Telling his lover he will change and become a better person, he will surprise her even though it seems he can’t. 

Their biggest song of this album is “Obstacle 1”, opening with the line “I wish I could eat the salt off your lost faded lips”. A brilliant way to open a song setting the scene of a man mourning his love who killed herself, the chorus repeats, “It’s different now that I’m poor and aging; I’ll never see this face again; You go stabbing yourself in the neck”. This song elicits a deep sad emotion while maintaining a positive disposition musically. Interpol often uses this technique of painful lyrics and upbeat rhythm, you can see the influences of the aforementioned bands such as The Cure. Another song that uses this style is “Stella Was A Diver And She Was Always Down” the lyrics for this song are up for individual interpretation, but many think the song tells the story of a prostitute escaping the hardships of life, “When she walks down the street; She knows there’s people watching; The building fronts are just fronts; To hide the people watching her” The song switches from talking about Stella in the present tense to the past tense so we can assume Stella is no longer in the singer’s life one way or another. The song has also been interpreted as a sexual innuendo, “Well she was my catatonic sex toy love-joy diver; She went down; down down there into the sea; She went down down down there down there for me”. Another fan favorite is “Leif Erikson”. The song is delivered in a monotone voice with a guitar riff that lures you into the song. The lyrics are somewhat absurd but they are believed to be about two lovers who point out the indistinct things they love about each other, “She says brief things; Her love’s a pony; My love’s subliminal”. This song is touching and seems to insinuate that there is a loss of respect in the relationship even though they still love each other “The clock is set for nine; But you know you’re gonna make it eight; So that you two can take some time; Teach each other to reciprocate”. 

There’s a possibility that we will never know the true meaning behind this album, however, the album is one of the best to ever come out of the early 2000s. The album is critically acclaimed and universally loved by its audience. Interpol made history with “Turn On The Bright Lights” not only creating a new genre for the new century, but inspiring other artists 20+ years later. This album is flawless and should be heard by everyone.