Interpol released the 2002 album "Turn On the Bright Lights." It was the American rock band's debut studio album, released in the United Kingdom on August 19, 2002, and in the United States the following day through Matador Records. Its dark, spacious guitar sound helped define the post-punk revival of the early 2000s.
The album was produced by Peter Katis and recorded at Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in late 2001. Its songs include "PDA," "Obstacle 1," and "NYC," with the title referring to a recurring lyric in "NYC." The record's atmosphere and melodic restraint led to frequent comparisons with earlier post-punk bands, especially Joy Division, but Interpol was the album's actual performer.
Another possible source of confusion is the self-titled "Interpol" EP, released in June 2002 before the album. "Turn On the Bright Lights" was critically acclaimed and later regarded as one of the most important indie-rock albums of the 2000s, despite reaching only No. 158 on the US Billboard 200.