Interpol’s Paul Banks Announces New EP + Album

Three years after Paul Banks introduced his alter ego Julian Plenti to the world, the Interpol frontman has announced plans to resurrect the moniker for a pair of solo projects in 2012 -- starting with the new EP 'Julian Plenti Lives...' on June 12.

Presented as a sort of five-song appetizer for a full-length LP that's reportedly due in the fall, 'Plenti Lives...' boasts a new original track, 'Summertime Is Coming,' along with an eclectic batch of cuts that includes an instrumental and covers of songs by Frank Sinatra, J Dilla, and 'Axel F' composer Harold Faltermeyer.

As with the first Plenti outing, 2009's 'Julian Plenti Is...Skyscraper,' the new music sounds like it's designed to play up Banks' eclectic nature. While Interpol is chiefly known for its melancholy sound, 'Skyscraper' presented a sunnier side of Banks' personality, and 'Summertime Is Coming' is being described as "beautiful" and "brooding."

For Interpol fans jonesing for new music after the band's 2010 self-titled effort, Banks' solo projects might be all they can count on for the immediate future; last year, drummer Sam Fogarino was quoted as saying, "We need a big break. Interpol needs it. We need to recoup and go on a proper hiatus."