A Fine Mess

Gathering five more tracks from the sessions for Interpol's 2018 full-length Marauder, the A Fine Mess EP continues the stripped-down, direct approach of the band's sixth album. A pair of its songs are nearly as strong as the material that ended up on Marauder: The title track is a paean to a glamorously dysfunctional relationship set to spiky guitars and a synth undertow that makes the proceedings extra doomy. Its flip side is "The Weekend," which uses its graceful melody to depict a romantic escape that's all the sweeter because it's so short. Elsewhere, the shadowy whispers of "Real Life" are promising but in need of an editor, while "No Big Deal" and "Thrones" trade in the brooding chug that defines most of the band's latter-day output. Indeed, A Fine Mess is quintessentially Interpol, almost to a fault. While it's a little undercooked compared to the songs that appeared on Marauder, the EP may still please fans wanting more of that album's vibe.