Three new songs from New York City’s Interpol. Their recent signing to Matador has definitely given them access to higher production values, and it’s immediately apparent, right from the first track—the re-recorded ‘PDA.’ A well-written song any way you cut it, it’s had new life breathed into it here, cranking along at a much steadier, quicker pace, with booming (yes, booming) toms driving the train. Much of Interpol’s sound has in the past has given a sense that it could all fall apart at any moment. No more. Their new sound is strong-willed, determined, and a well-taken step up.

The soaring, luxurious second track, ‘NYC,’ is a letter to the city—equal parts paean, equal parts invective—and very nicely expresses the very real love-hate relationship we all so often live with in New York: ‘The subway is a porno / The pavements, they are a mess / I know you’ve supported me for a long time / But somehow I’m not impressed.’

Before ‘Specialist’—the epic final track on the EP—ends it will take many different turns and become many different songs. A testament to the band’s improving songwriting skills, the track sprawls through every instrument, through changeable moods, and the full, wondrous onslaught of Interpol reveals itself to you: intricate, elegant, and demanding to be heard again.