7/10

This latest release from New York-based post-rockers Interpol marks an important milestone in the band's career. It coincides with the group's seminal release 'Antics', an album that rewrote the rules of modern rock music and became a staple of the forward-thinking movement in the new millennium. Since then, the band have produced a couple of hit-and-miss releases that didn't quite live up to their fan's expectations. Now with album number five on the way and one founding member down, the now three-piece have returned to their root sound to produce a record that will once again place them on their self-created pedestal.

'El Pintor', an anagram of Interpol, still holds on to that instantly recognisable originality the band have always had and has at least this time, managed to create more of a fuss about it. While 'Antics' was a mixture of raw power and likeable hooks, the band have opted for a far broader sound with this record. All the tracks seem to have this endless feel that helps drag the album out and allow you to really get under its skin. The juxtaposition of the fast-paced, power tunes and haunting compositions helps give this album a real sense of variety, while always maintaining its core ideals of creating captivating modern rock music.

While they may have fallen out of favours over the last decade, this new release is certainly a step back into the right direction. It may still not hold a light to their first couple of releases but definitely shows great promise of a band that still has ideas to show and can dazzle their fans when they want to.