The last time we spoke to Paul Banks, his band Interpol had put out its sixth album, Marauder, which was marked by “energy, songcraft, and unexpected warmth,” as Rolling Stone noted at the time.
Banks has taken those qualities to a new project, Muzz, a trio featuring Josh Kaufman (the producer and multi-instrumentalist in the folk group Bonny Light Horseman) and Matt Barrick (drummer of Jonathan Fire*Eater, the Walkmen, and Fleet Foxes’ touring band).
The band is out with two new songs: “Broken Tambourine,” a somber, meditative, organ-based ballad, and “Bad Feeling”, a spare, expansive singalong. While right now may not seem like the best time to hype a new project, these songs fit our dark international mood.
The three new bandmates have known each other for a long time. Banks and Kaufman have been friends since they were teenagers, attending high school together before moving to New York at the same time; Barrick drummed in Banks’ side project with RZA, among other ventures. They worked on the album at a studio they co-bought in Philadelphia.
While Tuesday is their first official release day, the band dropped “Bad Feeling” on SoundCloud anonymously earlier this month. The trio hinted that there is more music to come, saying in a statement that these tracks are only an “early glimpse” at their sound.
