"It felt like a very Gotham kind of way to make a record, during the winter. But it was really wonderful, and the vibe was really good," Daniel says over Zoom; he's currently somewhere in Europe.

'Mirror' is the most Interpol they've sounded in years. 'See Out Loud' is a powerhouse that harks back to 2004's 'Antics', while some of the moodier, more atmospheric cuts ('Iron City', 'Bird and The Serpent') could belong on their 2002 debut, 'Turn On the Bright Lights'. No doubt being back in their hometown has had an effect.

"There's all this history, this familiarity of doing things in the city as a young adult, and the city means so much to you," says Daniel. "It feels very comfortable which adds up just to feeling relieved and fortunate that you get to make a record in your hometown."

'Mirror' is also an homage to that time, while contemplating how they've grown older. "We're the same people who wrote those earliest records and wrote these songs, and you like to think that you're evolving as musicians, as artists, and so forth, but you're still the same people," reckons Daniel.

He reflects on his bandmate, guitarist and vocalist Paul Banks, as someone able to keep driving forward. "He's more curious about seeing how far he can go than ever feeling restrictive. And certainly, I think on this record, I could see his evolution as an artist in full glory."

On Zoom with Paul, a week after Dork chats with Daniel, he's in the middle of Interpol's tour, and he's awoken in Boise, Idaho - almost the complete opposite of where 'Mirror' was constructed. His take on the growth of Interpol also entails the relationship between him and Daniel.

"If you're a band where one person is really doing all the heavy lifting, I think it might lead to a creative burnout sooner. There's enough counterpoint happening creatively, so it's a little bit easier to be diverse and to try new things when you've got that push and pull between different artists working together to create the song."

For Daniel, that creative flow has never really disappeared. "I would say the only probably uncertain period was when [bassist Carlos Dengler] left the band. We didn't have a master plan for what was going to happen there. But as long as there's a current to things you just keep doing this. We've always been fortunate to have a pretty strong current," he says.

The lineup may have changed over the years - now including long-time touring keyboardist Brandon Curtis and bassist Brad Truax as fully-fledged members - but there's still that important bond present, which is only strengthening.

"I think we share an attitude, which is that we haven't done our best work yet, and that there's still a sense that we could write a better song," Paul adds. "We all have a sense that there's just more there."

At this stage, Interpol's ambition is surprisingly simple. "It's that drive to write the next better song, not because it would lead to some sort of success outside of one's own creative drive. It's actually just why are we going to do this if we're not going to do it to make the best possible art that we can make?" Paul explains. "So the thing that's pulling us is actually an artistic impulse rather than economic or a career impulse."

He is quick to clarify his point. "It's the wrong way to put it because I actually think that there are perfect songs on this record. It's more that we could do even better."

Paul notes single 'See Out Loud' as one track from 'Mirror' that "fulfilled its full potential". He's even quick to admit that he's been the reason that hasn't happened in the past. "We've had historically great songs where I fucked it up with a shitty lyric, or I didn't get a good vocal performance on the record, and that means the songs aren't perfect because they didn't get to be what they were supposed to be." That's not the case for 'Mirror'. He acknowledges that the majority did in fact get there: "I think there's quite a few songs on this record that I would call perfect. But when I talk about that there's more to do, it still feels like we could write better songs."

The connection which runs deep throughout Interpol, which has survived decades, is in itself remarkable. But to also have been consistently releasing music and touring over that period while continuing to chase perfection is why Interpol have stood the test of time - a fact that sees them high on the bill of this year's Outbreak, headlined by Deftones. Interpol's mystique is indeed their making.

"I marvel at it, it's crazy. I met Paul when he was barely 18 years old, this chance thing," Daniel fondly recalls. Bumping into him later and forming Interpol was all written in some mystical way. "It's crazy how these things can really shape your life, but there they are."

"Obviously, young men living in New York, starting with no money before anyone even wanted to sign us, there's a lot of tests right there," he continues. "It's hard to keep a band together in those early years when there's not much promise. And I think there's a moment there, before we did eventually go make 'Bright Lights', where you figure out you're just doing this purely for you. So if no one ever hears it, if you are happy with the songs that you're writing, then that's enough."

What starts as stubbornness and driven focus eventually becomes something more complicated - an unspoken connection that's created a shared history worth protecting.

"After a while, you realise, wow, these are very special relationships, and this is a very special thing that you get to do together, and this is also a very special chemistry," Daniel continues. "And I don't know if you can really say why it's there, how it got there, but you have to be careful with it and preserve it and acknowledge it".

"Being in a band is a crazy thing. If you're a touring band, where you're these sailors on these high seas, and you're playing these shows, you're sleeping on a bus… But I think at the end of the day, when you get the opportunity to write in a rehearsal room, and the chemistry is just there, and you're really feeling it, and you're excited by the results, I think it becomes just clear why you're still doing this."

Interpol's album 'This Mirror Weighs a Ton' is out 28th August. They play Outbreak x All Points East at Victoria Park, London on 23rd August.