The band's sound is generally a mix of staccato bass and rhythmic, harmonized guitar, with a snare heavy mix, drawing comparisons to post-punk bands such as Joy Division and The Chameleons.
The band formed in 1997 when Daniel Kessler met drummer Greg Drudy, previously a member of post-hardcore/screamo band Joshua Fit For Battle and Hot Cross, on the New York University campus. Kessler later added Carlos D. on the bass after meeting him in a history class. The line-up was complete after Kessler ran into Paul Banks, a friend whom he had met in Paris. In 2000, Sam Fogarino, whom the band knew through his job at a local record store, replaced Drudy. Carlos Dengler, who was responsible for bass and keyboards, left the band in 2010, and hasn't been replaced, but announced various names to help them perform live.
The band released Direction on the soundtrack of the television program 'Six Feet Under' on June 28, 2005. Shortly thereafter they left Matador for a major label.
Our Love to Admire was released on July 10, 2007 in the USA (July 9 in the UK) to generally favorable reviews. The Heinrich Maneuver was its first single.
Their self-titled LP was released on September 7th 2010 and the tracks Barricade , Summer Well , Lights , and Try It On have been issued as singles. After this album, the bassist Carlos Dengler has lefted the band.
El Pintor is the fifth Interpol's album and was released in September 8th 2014 with 5 singles, All the Rage Back Home, Ancient Ways. My Desire, Anywhere and Everything is Wrong. The album's name is an anagram for Interpol.
The last 2 Interpol's albums are Marauder (2018) and The Other Side of Make-Believe (2022) .
A Time To Be So Small
Interpol Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bottom of the ocean
Saw him under the boat
Saw you making knots
Saw you get the rope
A boy appearing on the deck
Making it lurch
Bubble of your interests
He whistles and he runs
Saw you in distraction of
Sleeping slow despair
Bursting in a rapture
But he wasn't even there
Feature is a creature
Though you wish you were the wind
Boat will not stop moving
If you tie him up until the end
He whistles and he runs so hold him fast
Pray the lord the wants to let it last
He might succumb to what you haven't seen
He has a keen eye for what you didn't see
when the cadaverous mobs
In the doors to the tent
And man, meanwhile you cannot be
I want you to be there
When he gets to the end
Have to find a way
The lyrics of "A Time to Be So Small" by Interpol are intriguing and perhaps a bit vague, making it difficult to pinpoint an exact interpretation. However, the overall tone of the song suggests a certain level of anxiety or fear, and the lyrics seem to be about feeling trapped or suffocated in a situation that is beyond one's control. The first verse conjures up images of being deep under water, where everything is dark, lonely, and dangerous. The singer sees the boy on the boat, and instead of feeling reassured, he is fearful and overwhelmed. He feels like he is just a small figure in a vast, unforgiving ocean, and he is powerless against the currents that are pulling him under.
The second verse adds another layer of anxiety, as the singer describes a feeling of despair that is both paralyzing and all-consuming. He sees himself as a mere "feature" or afterthought in a world that moves relentlessly onwards, with or without him. The boy on the deck, meanwhile, seems to represent something that is just out of reach for the singer - an escape, a sense of freedom, or perhaps just a momentary distraction from the monotony of his life. However, the singer is aware that any attempt to hold onto or control this fleeting thing would be futile, and that he must simply let it go and hope for the best.
The chorus of the song offers a glimmer of hope, as the singer urges himself and others to "hold on tight" to the things that matter, and to keep fighting against the forces that are trying to drag them down. The final lines of the song ("I want you to be there / When he gets to the end / Have to find a way") suggest that while the singer may feel lost or adrift at times, he still believes in the possibility of finding a way out, and he is determined to keep moving forward no matter what.
Line by Line Meaning
A time to be so small
Feeling insignificant and powerless.
Bottom of the ocean
Feeling as if at the lowest possible point.
Saw him under the boat
Noticing someone who is going unnoticed.
Saw you making knots
Realizing someone is taking deliberate but obscured actions.
Saw you get the rope
Noticing someone preparing for a drastic action.
A boy appearing on the deck
A new, unanticipated figure entering the situation.
Making it lurch
Causing a sudden imbalance, possibly with ill intent.
Bubble of your interests
The preoccupation with one's own priorities and goals.
Ready to burst
Close to reaching a breaking point.
He whistles and he runs
The elusive figure who might cause the situation to unravel.
Saw you in distraction of
Noting someone who is preoccupied with issues that are not central to the situation at hand.
Sleeping slow despair
A sense of hopelessness creeping up gradually.
Bursting in a rapture
Experiencing an intense emotional release.
But he wasn't even there
The catalyst is not a direct participant in the situation.
Feature is a creature
The significant actor may be unconventional or unexpected.
Though you wish you were the wind
Desiring to have more influence or control over events than one actually does.
Boat will not stop moving
The situation will not pause or cease because of one individual's actions.
If you tie him up until the end
Attempting to forcibly suppress the problematic individual or component.
So hold him fast
Attempting to limit the actions of the catalyst figure.
Pray the lord the wants to let it last
Acknowledging the impossibility of total control over events and the consequent need for a higher power to intervene favorably.
He might succumb to what you haven't seen
The elusive figure may have vulnerabilities, unacknowledged by those trying to contain him or her.
He has a keen eye for what you didn't see
The catalyst has an advantage in seeing and utilizing information which others have missed.
When the cadaverous mobs
The situation being overwhelmed by negative, destructive forces.
In the doors to the tent
The destructive forces making themselves at home in one's surroundings.
And man, meanwhile you cannot be
Feeling helpless and powerless to stop a negative, destructive force from taking hold.
I want you to be there
Desiring the support and presence of others in coping with adversity.
When he gets to the end
When the situation inevitably reaches its conclusion.
Have to find a way
The imperative to keep struggling to succeed despite the adversity encountered.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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