Interpol and the Human Pulse of ‘Wings On Fire’ in Albuquerque
Interpol gave fans another glimpse of its next album in Albuquerque, where the band slipped a new song called ‘Wings On Fire’ into a stop-off set between Coachella weekends. The moment felt immediate and lived-in: a room, a crowd, and a song still taking shape.
What happened when Interpol debuted ‘Wings On Fire’?
On Thursday night at Revel Entertainment Center in Albuquerque, Interpol played ‘Wings On Fire’ for the first time. The band had already used the road to introduce another unreleased track, ‘See Out Loud, ’ which it first aired last month and then kept in the set. ‘Wings On Fire’ arrived as a second preview of the group’s incoming eighth studio album, the follow-up to 2022’s ‘The Other Side of Make-Believe’.
The new song came in the middle of a busy run through North and South America, with the band moving from one show to the next while preparing for the next stage of its schedule. In Albuquerque, the setting was less about announcement and more about testing a song in real time, in front of people who knew they were hearing something unfinished and important.
Why does this new song feel like a bigger story?
The release of a new track is only part of the story. For Interpol, ‘Wings On Fire’ also reflects a band working through change while staying connected to its core identity. The song was described as choppy, anthemic, and tightly locked in, with a chorus built around “Find out who you are. ” That kind of directness matters because it places the song inside a larger pattern: a group still finding energy in the room together, rather than polishing everything in advance.
Paul Banks, frontman of Interpol, had already signaled that the next record was shaping up as “quite high energy. ” He also said the band was getting back to writing together in a room, and that the tracks felt “pretty great. ” Daniel Kessler, guitarist in Interpol, added that listeners should expect “some upbeat tracks” and “different atmospherics. ” Those comments help frame ‘Wings On Fire’ not as an isolated debut, but as part of a record taking shape with movement and contrast.
What is changing inside the band right now?
The current touring lineup includes The Armed’s Urian Hackney on drums, while Sam Fogarino, who joined the New York City band in 2000, has stepped back from touring after spinal surgery in 2023. Even so, Interpol confirmed that Fogarino co-wrote and performed on the new album that was described as “coming soon. ”
That detail gives the new material added weight. The band is not simply introducing songs for the road; it is carrying forward a studio record that still connects to members who are not currently onstage. In practical terms, the live rollout of ‘Wings On Fire’ is happening alongside a period of adjustment, continuity, and forward motion.
Where does Interpol go after Albuquerque?
After the Albuquerque show, Interpol is set to continue toward Australia and New Zealand in May in support of Deftones, before moving into a run of European shows across July and August. The itinerary also includes a support slot with My Chemical Romance in Italy and, on August 23, another appearance with Deftones at London’s All Points East x Outbreak. Later in the year, the band is scheduled to share a co-headline tour with Bloc Party in the UK and Europe, including two shows at London’s British Airways ARC venue.
For fans, the route matters because it means ‘Wings On Fire’ will likely keep evolving in front of crowds over the months ahead. For the band, it turns a single debut into a recurring test of how a new song lands from city to city.
In Albuquerque, the first impression of ‘Wings On Fire’ was brief, but it lingered. Interpol stepped into the room with one new song already in circulation and another now added to the set, then left the crowd with the sense that the next album is not waiting in the distance. It is already moving, show by show, one night at a time.
Image alt: Interpol debuting ‘Wings On Fire’ in Albuquerque during a live stop between Coachella weekends
