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Jul 14, 2022The Other Side of Make-Believe preserves the band’s haunted post punk proclivities, but the subtle positive messaging from Banks (and occasionally from the instrumentals) adds another layer of depth to the band’s sound. ... This is easily one of the best albums of 2022, and it stands up to some of Interpol’s greatest works.
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Jul 20, 2022The Other Side of Make-Believe maintains the charm and intrigue that made Interpol indie darlings 20 years ago, but it also finds the band aging gracefully — these brooding New York boys are now men who embrace their emotions.
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Jul 14, 2022A record packed with solitary voices, the New Yorkers seem to amplify their ability to capture the beauty in melancholy, stripping back the paint of the everyday to reveal the extraordinary underneath.
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Jul 14, 2022Far from a total reinvention, but all adds up to a confident, rewarding and subtly adventurous new chapter for Interpol.
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Jul 13, 2022The Other Side Of Make-Believe is a dependably great album from a dependably great band.
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Classic Rock MagazineJul 6, 2022Their interactions will turn understatement into seductiveness, as Paul Banks's voice and Daniel Kessler's guitars weave sorrow and hope through the shuffling Toni, the keening Fables, and Passenger, which feels like a sequel to their classic NYC. [Summer 2022, p.74]
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MojoJul 6, 2022There's something quietly masterful about The Other Side Of Make-Believe. Strong, dignified, scarred but moving forwards, it's the sound of a band charting emotional disturbances, but emerging renewed. [Aug 2022, p.91]
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Jul 19, 2022It plays to their strengths in most places and often challenges them to retain the will to be original and innovative in their established modus.
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Aug 1, 2022The Other Side of Make Believe is an Interpol ready for the new age. It’s proved they can move onto album seven – even when the world was forcing everyone apart – and amidst side projects and other endeavours, the trio are a staple the world would do better to relish in since they deliver a high quality every time without sacrificing any of that brooding integrity we all so know and love.
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Jul 18, 2022By turns frustrating and engaging, The Other Side of Make-Believe is decidedly uneven, especially coming after the frequently great Marauder. Nevertheless, it offers plenty of mood and a little bit of innovation from a band still revealing nuances to their sound 20 years after their debut.
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Jul 14, 2022The softer, subtler sound of The Other Side of Make-Believe means it’s never able to reach the greatness of the peak moments of Turn On the Bright Lights or Antics. It simply doesn’t have those powerful moments. Despite that and Banks occasionally singing outside of his range, it’s a solid effort and a welcome splash of color to Interpol’s dour palette.
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Jul 14, 2022There is no doubt that The Other Side of Make-Believe remains distinctly Interpol, and that is a good thing. Twenty years on from their debut, the band have endured, continuing to produce tight rhythms and shadowy urban soundscapes.
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Jul 12, 2022On Make-Believe’s “Passenger,” Banks laments, “Save me, I’m in my head,” which, as every other Interpol album has proven, has been a recurring issue for Banks. But when he and his bandmates loosen up their songwriting, as on Make-Believe, they sound ready to move forward.
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UncutJul 6, 2022There are no giant leaps here, it’s very much Interpol as you know them, but there’s plenty of micro evolutions, impressive production and subtle tweaks to make this a welcome addition to their catalogue. [Aug 2022, p.28]
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Jul 19, 2022Too often, the trio sounds like they’re writing over or past each other instead of locking in.
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Jul 15, 2022The Other Side of Make Believe scarcely risks driving away disciples. Nor does it cravenly go after fresh converts.
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Jul 14, 2022This is an album that asks for patience, and only on occasion is it duly rewarded.
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Jul 14, 2022The result is a fine record, but one that ultimately fails to leave a mark.
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Jul 11, 2022The bad news is that The Other Side of Make-Believe suffers from a gaggle of forgettable material. The good news is that the record shows us all that Interpol are willing to try a few new tricks as they age.
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Jul 7, 2022The Other Side of Make-Believe has its longueurs – the lumbering Mr Credit among them – but it also has its pleasures: it doesn’t sound phoned in, which is much to its credit. Long past the point where they’re in the business of attracting new fans, they nevertheless keep moving, albeit subtly.
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Jul 6, 2022Daniel Kessler’s guitar lines remain inventively distinctive, but a gentleness now exudes from Paul Banks’ voice, and his pseudo-absurdist lyrics consider that things might not be so bad after all.
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Jul 11, 2022A half-baked pastiche of previous releases. Even the album’s highlights can’t compete with the best cuts on later albums like 2014’s El Pintor. In an attempt to move forward, the band has simply disassembled and repackaged the stylistic traits that made them special in the first place.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 20 out of 29
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Mixed: 6 out of 29
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Negative: 3 out of 29
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Jul 15, 2022
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Jul 26, 2022
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Jul 31, 2022