Antics (album)

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title: "Antics (album)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2004-albums", "interpol-(band)-albums", "matador-records-albums", "albums-produced-by-peter-katis"] topic_path: "arts/music" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antics_(album)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox album"]

Field	Value
name	Antics
type	studio
artist	Interpol
cover	Antics (album).jpg
alt	A black square with half a red circle against a white background with "INTERPOL" in black and "ANTICS" in red
border	yes
released	September 27, 2004
recorded	March – May 2004
studio	Tarquin (Bridgeport, Connecticut)
genre	Indie rock, post-punk revival
length	41:39
label	Matador
producer	Peter Katis
prev_title	The Black EP
prev_year	2003
next_title	Interpol Remix
next_year	2005
misc	{{Singles
name	Antics
type	studio
single1	Slow Hands
single1date	August 16, 2004
single2	Evil
single2date	January 3, 2005
single3	C'mere
single3date	April 11, 2005
single4	Narc
single4date	June 1, 2005
::

| name = Antics | type = studio | artist = Interpol | cover =Antics (album).jpg | alt = A black square with half a red circle against a white background with "INTERPOL" in black and "ANTICS" in red | border = yes | released = September 27, 2004 | recorded = March – May 2004 | studio = Tarquin (Bridgeport, Connecticut) | genre = Indie rock, post-punk revival | length = 41:39 | label = Matador | producer = Peter Katis | prev_title = The Black EP | prev_year = 2003 | next_title = Interpol Remix | next_year = 2005 | misc = {{Singles | name = Antics | type = studio | single1 = Slow Hands | single1date = August 16, 2004 | single2 = Evil | single2date = January 3, 2005 | single3 = C'mere | single3date = April 11, 2005 | single4 = Narc | single4date = June 1, 2005

Antics is the second studio album by American rock band Interpol, released on September 27, 2004, by Matador Records. Upon its release, the album proved to be the band's commercial breakthrough, peaking at number fifteen on the Billboard 200 and number 21 on the UK Albums Chart, and went on to be certified gold by the RIAA in the United States.

Antics received generally favorable reviews from critics. Drowned in Sound named it the best album of 2004. Likewise, it appeared on end-of-year lists by several other music publications. It was later certified gold by the RIAA in 2009. Four singles were released from the album: "Slow Hands", "Evil", "C'mere", and "Narc".

In a 2018 interview with Vice, lead singer Paul Banks listed Antics as his favorite of the band's albums, saying: "I really put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears onto this record" and that "it felt like a very righteous pursuit". Banks also claimed that their confidence in the album's quality acted as "the perfect antidote to that sophomore slump" and the group circumvented the pressure and was able to "dive straight back in".

Packaging

Morse code is used in several places throughout the album's packaging, continuing the nautical themes found in a few of the tracks' lyrics ("Take You on a Cruise", "Public Pervert", "A Time to Be So Small"). Code for the word "antics" is used on the back panel of the slipcase, as well as in the booklet; other words included in code are "length", "narc", "cruise", and "exit". Photography of the band used in the interior of the album was produced by Ami Barwell.

Critical reception

| MC = 80/100 | rev1 = AllMusic | rev1score = | rev2 = Blender | rev2score = | rev3 = Entertainment Weekly | rev3score = B+ | rev4 = The Guardian | rev4score = | rev5 = Los Angeles Times | rev5score = | rev6 = NME | rev6score = 8/10 | rev7 = Pitchfork | rev7score = 8.5/10 | rev8 = Q | rev8score = | rev9 = Rolling Stone | rev9score = | rev10 = Spin | rev10score = A− Upon its release, Antics received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received a Metascore of 80 based on 33 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Mikael Wood of The Village Voice also gave it a favorable review and said, "What makes Antics such an improvement over Bright Lights is how capable Interpol have become at complementing Banks's lovely ambiguity with an increasingly precise post-punk throb." Dan Tallis of BBC Music likewise gave it a favorable review and said, "What's inescapable is that Antics does sound similar to Turn On the Bright Lights. This is despite the drummer's attempt to lift the gloom by introducing a poppy, even dance drum beat during two or three tracks. [...] However, this record has been widely praised. The difference is that Interpol have progressed. The band haven't repeated the formula, they've improved upon it."

Dave Simpson of The Guardian gave it four stars out of five, and said it "manages to dabble with tension and still emerge with something life-affirming." Uncut also gave it four stars out of five and called it "exhilarating, morbid, romantic, cool". The NME gave it a score of eight out of ten, and called it "an album scored through with a vehement beauty that, with each listen, becomes all the more acute for its unwillingness to shy away from life's bleaker, more painful moments." Similarly, Under the Radar gave it eight stars out of ten, and said that while it is "ultimately a more sophisticated record, it's probably a less obvious one, too." Billboard gave it a favorable review and called it "even better [than Bright Lights], possibly because the band isn't trying so hard to be weird." Salvatore Ciolfi of PopMatters also gave it eight stars out of ten and said, "Altogether, the album's feel is much more lively, bouncy, and accessible, and in combination with the band's ubiquitous ambient underpinnings, the upbeat tone often makes this collection inspiring." Bobby Mann of Flak Magazine also gave it a favorable review and said that "Interpol is less indebted to its influences, creating a distinct sound from the distinguishing characteristics that drew those comparisons in the first place."

Other reviews were average or mixed: Blender gave the album a score of three stars out of five, and called it "Less lugubrious and more melodic than [Bright Lights], but the improvement is marginal." Mark Richardson of Paste likewise gave the album three stars out of five and said that its songs "feel heavy and significant enough--due to dynamic production and hooky choruses--even if we don't know exactly what they mean." The New York Times gave it an average review and called it "fairly uneven". Los Angeles Times gave the album two-and-a-half stars out of four and said, "The band works too hard to seem mysterious." Robert Christgau of the Village Voice named "Next Exit" as the only good song on the album.

Accolades

::data[format=table title="Accolades for ''Antics''"]

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Pitchfork	cokemachineglow	Junkmedia	Spin	Under the Radar	Rolling Stone	Tiny Mix Tapes	No Ripcord	Q	Drowned in Sound	OneThirtyBPM	Treble	Delusions of Adequacy	NME
Top 50 Albums of 2004	27
Top 50 Albums of 2004	12
Top 10 Albums of 2004	7
Top 40 Albums of 2004	9
Best Albums of 2004	2
Best Albums of 2004	url=http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/Current/A4064.htm	title=Best Albums of 2004	access-date=2014-10-19	archive-date=2014-10-19	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141019055101/http://www.acclaimedmusic.net/Current/A4064.htm}}
Best Albums of 2004	16
Top 50 Albums of 2004	3
Top 50 Albums of 2004	10
Records of the Year	1
Top 100 Albums of the 2000s	87
Best Albums of the 00's	87
Top 100 Albums of the 2000s	90
500 Greatest Albums of All Time	410
::

Track listing

| headline = Antics track listing | all_writing = Paul Banks, Daniel Kessler, Carlos Dengler and Sam Fogarino. | total_length = 41:33 | title1 = Next Exit | length1 = 3:20 | title2 = Evil | length2 = 3:35 | title3 = Narc | length3 = 4:07 | title4 = Take You on a Cruise | length4 = 4:54 | title5 = Slow Hands | length5 = 3:04 | title6 = Not Even Jail | length6 = 5:46 | title7 = Public Pervert | length7 = 4:40 | title8 = C'mere | length8 = 3:11 | title9 = Length of Love | length9 = 4:06 | title10 = A Time to Be So Small | length10 = 4:50 | headline = 2005 Limited Edition bonus disc | title1 = Song Seven | length1 = 4:52 | title2 = Narc | note2 = Paul Banks Remix | length2 = 2:39 | title3 = Not Even Jail | note3 = Daniel Kessler Remix | length3 = 5:41 | title4 = Fog Vs. Mould for the Length Of Love | length4 = 7:48 | title5 = Public Pervert | note5 = Carlos D Remix | length5 = 8:08 | title6 = Slow Hands | note6 = Music Video | length6 = 3:07 | title7 = Evil | note7 = Music Video | length7 = 3:38 | title8 = C'mere | note8 = Music Video | length8 = 3:30 | total_length = 39:23 | headline = 2005 Japanese Special Edition bonus disc | title1 = Fog Vs. Mould for the Length Of Love | length1 = 7:48 | title2 = Narc | note2 = Paul Banks Remix | length2 = 2:39 | title3 = Not Even Jail | note3 = Daniel Kessler Remix | length3 = 5:41 | title4 = Public Pervert | note4 = Carlos D Remix | length4 = 8:08 | title5 = Slow Hands | note5 = Dan the Automator Remix | length5 = 4:06 | title6 = Slow Hands | note6 = Britt Daniel Remix | length6 = 3:46 | title7 = Narc | note7 = Eden Sessions | length7 = 4:08 | title8 = Slow Hands | note8 = Music Video | length8 = 3:07 | title9 = Evil | note9 = Music Video | length9 = 3:38 | title10 = C'mere | note10 = Music Video | length10 = 3:30 | title11 = PDA | note11 = Live at The Strand | length11 = 6:04 | title12 = Slow Hands | note12 = Live at The Strand | length12 = 3:03 | total_length = 55:22

Antics: The Twentieth Anniversary Edition

| total_length = 45:37 | title11 = Direction | length11 = 3:58 | headline = Live at Palacio de los Deportes, Mexico City, 2005 | title1 = Next Exit | length1 = 4:58 | title2 = Say Hello to the Angels | length2 = 4:40 | title3 = Narc | length3 = 4:43 | title4 = A Time to Be So Small | length4 = 4:44 | title5 = Slow Hands | length5 = 3:40 | title6 = Public Pervert | length6 = 6:21 | title7 = Not Even Jail | length7 = 6:10 | title8 = Leif Erikson | length8 = 4:19 | title9 = Evil | length9 = 4:06 | title10 = Obstacle 1 | length10 = 4:20 | title11 = Take You on a Cruise | length11 = 6:45 | title12 = PDA | length12 = 5:39 | title13 = NYC | length13 = 4:18 | title14 = Stella was a diver and she was always down | length14 = 6:46 | title15 = Roland | length15 = 6:05

| total_length = 77:34

Personnel

Interpol

• Paul Banks – vocals, rhythm guitar
• Daniel Kessler – lead guitar
• Carlos Dengler – bass guitar, keyboards
• Sam Fogarino – drums, percussion

Technical Personnel

• All songs recorded and mixed by Peter Katis
• Assisted by Greg Giorgio
• Recorded and mixed at Tarquin Studios
• Mastered by Greg Calbi at Sterling Sound

Design

• Sean McCabe – photography, design
• Ami Barwell – photography

Charts

::data[format=table title="Weekly chart performance for ''Antics''"] | Chart (2004–2005) | Peak position | |---|---| ::

Certifications and sales

Release details

::data[format=table title="Release history and formats for ''Antics''"]

Country	Date	Label	Format	Catalog number	United Kingdom	United States	Japan	United States
September 27, 2004	Matador	LP	OLE6161
CD	OLE6162
September 28, 2004	Matador	LP	OLE6161
CD	OLE6162
October 6, 2004	Toshiba-EMI	CD	TOCP 66323
August 23, 2005	Matador	Bonus CD	OLE6792
::

References

References

1. "Interpol".
2. Trust, Gary. (16 January 2009). "Ask Billboard: Roxette, Whitney Houston, Interpol". [[Billboard (magazine).
3. "Records of the Year".
4. "Paul Banks Rates Interpol's Five Albums".
5. "Ami Barwell, Rock 'n' Roll Photographer > Albums". musicphotographer.co.uk.
6. "Reviews for Antics by Interpol". [[Metacritic]].
7. Kellman, Andy. (September 28, 2004). "Antics – Interpol". [[AllMusic]].
8. Pareles, Jon. (October 2004). "Interpol: Antics". [[Blender (magazine).
9. Endelman, Michael. (October 1, 2004). "Antics".
10. Simpson, Dave. (September 24, 2004). "Interpol: Antics". [[The Guardian]].
11. Hochman, Steve. (October 10, 2004). "Not a total eclipse of the heart, but...". [[Los Angeles Times]].
12. (September 25, 2004). "Interpol: Antics". [[NME]].
13. Moore, David. (September 26, 2004). "Interpol: Antics". [[Pitchfork (website).
14. (October 2004). "Interpol: Antics". [[Q (magazine).
15. Walters, Barry. (September 22, 2004). "Antics".
16. Beaujon, Andrew. (October 2004). "Black Celebration". [[Spin (magazine).
17. Modell, Josh. (27 September 2004). "Interpol: Antics". [[The A.V. Club]].
18. Wood, Mikael. (5 October 2004). "Part of the Heart of the City". [[The Village Voice]].
19. Tallis, Dan. "Review of Interpol - Antics". [[BBC Music]].
20. Simpson, Dave. (23 September 2004). "Interpol, Antics". [[The Guardian]].
21. (2004). "Interpol - Antics".
22. (16 October 2004). "Antics".
23. Ciolfi, Salvatore. (27 September 2004). "Interpol: Antics".
24. Mann, Bobby. (8 October 2004). "Flak Magazine: Interpol's Antics".
25. Richardson, Mark. (1 December 2004). "Interpol - Antics :: Music :: Reviews".
26. "Antics Review".
27. "Top 50 Albums of 2004".
28. "Top 50 Albums 2004".
29. "Junkmedia's Top 10 Albums [2004]".
30. "Top 40 Albums of 2004".
31. "Best Albums of 2004".
32. "Best Albums of 2004".
33. "Top 50 Albums of 2004".
34. "Top 50 Albums of 2004".
35. "Top 100 Albums of the 2000s".
36. (18 January 2010). "The Best Albums of the 00's".
37. "Top 100 Albums of 2004".
38. "Top 500 Albums of All-Time".
39. Furniss, Olaf. (6 May 2006). "Noiselab Raises Indie Acts' Volume In Mexico".
40. Menze, Jill. (13 August 2010). "Interpol Returns To Matador For Fourth Album".

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