This came out in 2002 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
These two New York buzz bands are currently duking it out for the official title of Next Big Thing. Judging by these intitial efforts, this battle could go either way.
The magnificently named Yeah Yeah Yeahs would certainly take the title in the garage-punk division. Led by the sexy, untrained yelp and primal scream of Karen O, this minimalist trio — vocals, guitar and drums — have a sound somewhere between the raw, twitchy blooz-funk of Boss Hog and the sweet crash-bash pop of The Breeders. “It’s our time to be hated,” warbles Karen on their compelling five-track EP, proving that indeed The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are already ahead of their time. Interpol, by contrast, are a blast from the past. With their choppy guitars, robotic drumbeats, keyboards and smoothly crooned vocals, this quartet resurrects the alienated, paranoid android sound of classic post-punk outfits like Joy Division, Gary Numan and Echo and the Bunnymen. Dreamy without being wimpy, rocky without being cumbersome, their three-track EP could be the soundtrack to the best teen dramedy that never was.
