upcoming double A-side

[tinobeat]

from the Interpol official site:

Matador UK will be releasing a double A side single featuring NYC and Say Hello to the Angels in March. The CD will also include a bonus demo version of NYC recorded by Sam in our rehearsal space.

So I ask you, matador:

what is the point of releasing a 7" that has two songs from the LP you recently released and no bonus material? isn't the whole joy of singles and EPs the fun of the b-side? and the CDep has only a different recording of the first song. I guess people who don't have the full-length and want to take a taste of Interpol could get that, but it still strikes me as odd. Is it a euro or UK charting thing?

I trust you guys, and have faith that its not going to turn into something like what the Strokes did and milk the same 11 songs over some 5-6 releases, just in different orders and quantities...

sorry to sound like a pain, I'm not annoyed or being sarcastic or anything, just genuinely curious as to the motivations behind the "NYC/Say Hello to Angels" 7"/CDep.

[Patrick]

Seriously, it's a whole UK chart/store game that I'm not qualified to explain properly.

I'm going to ask Mike from Matador Europe to chip in here.

Patrick

[tinobeat]

I figured it'd be something like that... like how they release two separate singles for the same song with different b-sides. crazy brits, heh heh

I'd love to hear how all that stuff works...

[lightupthesky]

so when is the double a-side going to be out anyways and is matador (us) going to be selling any through the online store...?

[Patrick]

The answer is early April and yes, it will be available though the Matador Store.

Patrick

[Mike]

One of the key reasons we will be releasing a single in the UK of Say Hello to the Angels / NYC (please note this the correct tracking - flipped from earlier idea) is to provide a platform for the UK media to continue to feature Interpol.

We want Interpol to get mainstream radio play in the UK. This will not happen with an album track. There is a chance (stress on the word chance) that this could happen with a single release.

We want Interpol to get video play in the UK - far more chance if we are "working" a single.

We want Interpol to get as much coverage from papers and magazines around their London show. Singles reviews give a chance for writers to write about the band.

These may not be reasons for people who already own the album to buy the single but there is still an audience for singles in the UK, especially for kids who may not be able to afford to (or want to) buy a whole album.