Three Years in the Making: Paul Banks Teams Up with Liars' Aaron Hemphill on a New Berlin-Based Band
Having relocated to Berlin, Interpol's Paul Banks joined forces with Liars guitarist Aaron Hemphill to launch a new project tentatively named Berlin Project. Three years of work have gone into the album, slated for release next year, though a record label has yet to be secured.
Paul Banks' life in Berlin has unexpectedly given rise to a band that doesn't even have an official name yet. In an interview with The Berliner, the Interpol frontman confirmed he's been working on a new album in the city for three years now, with Liars guitarist Aaron Hemphill among his collaborators.
"I put a band together in Berlin, and if it's up to us, we'll call it Berlin Project," Banks said. "It's been a huge part of my musical journey here, and I'm hoping to put this album out next year. We don't have a label yet, but this thing's been brewing for three years."
The band also includes Raife Burchell from London, someone Banks describes as a friend he met through boxing who frequently travels back and forth to Berlin. As for Aaron Hemphill, their friendship goes back to 2004, when Liars toured alongside Interpol. "Aaron lives in Berlin now, and he's one of the coolest guitar players I've ever met, plus he's just a genuinely good guy," Banks said. "He's actually helped me out a ton—showing me how to get set up here, like dealing with health insurance and stuff. He walked me through all of it."
This isn't the first time Banks has ventured outside Interpol. He previously formed the New York "supergroup" Muzz with producer Josh Kaufman and The Walkmen's Matt Barrick, releasing their debut album in 2020. His solo work includes a 2009 album released under the name Julian Plenti, as well as a self-titled record, "Banks," in 2012.
Berlin's influence on Banks extends beyond this new project. Discussing Interpol's latest album, "This Mirror Weighs A Ton," he mentioned that much of the lyric writing was finished in Berlin: "We wrote most of this album in New York, but I'd do a lot of the lyrical polishing in Berlin—taking those hazy ideas we improvised in New York and really fleshing them out." He also spoke about how his perception of the city has shifted over time: "Back when we were touring early on, I always thought Berlin was one of the most stylish cities out there—it had this Mad Max kind of edge to it, and the hipsters looked genuinely fringe. These days I'm not as plugged into that whole Berghain scene; where I live now is mostly young families. But the city still gives me this urban buzz, a cultural atmosphere rich enough to keep feeding me inspiration from fashion and the younger generation."
"This Mirror Weighs A Ton" previously earned a four-star review from NME, which called it Interpol's "most unified yet most experimental" synthesis of their past, present, and future sound, describing it as "their most consistent, satisfying record since Antics." Meanwhile, Interpol's previously scheduled co-headlining show with Bloc Party at London's Olympia this December has been confirmed canceled due to "unforeseen scheduling issues." As for Berlin Project, no album title, tracklist, or confirmed release date has been announced yet.
