Leading up to the June 5th release of their self-titled, debut album, Muzz, the new project of Paul Banks (Interpol), Josh Kaufman (producer/multi-
“Decided to try something live-ish! Here’s a song of ours called, ‘Bad Feeling,’ played to each other through our funny telephones and then back atcha, through yours. Sincerely hope you enjoy it. Muzz”
Written, arranged and performed by all three, Muzz is dark and gorgeous, expansive and soulful, all imbued with an effortless cosmic charge. It’s a genuine collaborative production, born out of long-standing friendship and collaboration. “Finding a place where we met aesthetically was really cool, especially at this point in our lives,” says Kaufman. “I’m not surprised that Paul and I are in a band together after all these years; what I am surprised by is that my favorite drummer is the guy who brought us back together to make music. He’s this rare rock drummer who came out of the D.C. hardcore/ska scene and swings like a jazz drummer. Matt was the magnet.”
Banks and Kaufman have known each other since childhood, attending high school together in Spain before separately moving to NY. There, they independently crossed paths with Barrick while running in similar music circles. They kept in touch in the following years: Barrick drummed in Banks + Steelz and on some of Kaufman’s production sessions; Kaufman helped on Banks’ early Julian Plenti solo endeavour; various demos were collaborated on, and a studio was co-bought.
Banks elaborates: “I love The Walkmen and every band Matt’s been a part of; he does things on the drums that are so subtle and tasteful it gives me the warm fuzzies. And since we were kids, Josh has been a real inspiration to me, a talent on some other plane. As a producer he creates an environment where other musicians can shine. There’s a creative overlap we share that revolves around Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, The Stones, and Dylan that I haven’t really had an outlet for all these years, so this is us exploring that.”
