Cool and crass, detached and desperate, dissonant and darkly sarcastic, the quintet (Zack Lipez, vocals Johnny Rauberts and Tim Murray, guitars Jimmy Paradise, drums Mitchell Jordan, bass) specializes in a sound alternately slashing, hypnotic, urgent and controlled. They deliver both live and on vinyl (yes, vinyl), all without the benefit of anything resembling a guitar solo or a vocal harmony. They also have one of the best drummers in the business.

Here, vocalist Zack Lipez and guitarists Johnny Rauberts and Tim Murray talk about their new self-titled full-length, working with Alex Newport (Mars Volta, Melvins), Nick Zinner’s (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) remix of "Revelations", and their upcoming U.K. tour.

Freshkills is a vinyl-only release, with the lyrics hand-printed on the sleeve. Are you happy you went this route? Or was it a pain in the ass?

J: I'm happy we went this route AND yes, it's a major pain in the ass.
T: It actually includes an mp3 download, so I guess in that sense it’s a vinyl / digital release. Just not plastic.
Z: If you're going to bother doing vinyl, you may as well personalize it as best you can. Especially if it's only your friends who are going to buy it.

I consider you guys to be the quintessential New York band. Yet, lyrically, there are a lot fewer references to New York City than in your debut. Was that a conscious decision?

Z: We are not a political band, but at a certain point ignoring the rest of the world becomes a political act. I wish I was better at addressing that sort of thing, but it's hard to not do in a really clumsy fashion. Luckily, now that Obama is president, everything is cool, right? I can go back to writing about throwing up in a pint glass at Motor City.

Those older songs (from Creeps and Lovers) were pretty frenetic. On the new one, there's a focus on clarity and even a certain grandeur to some of the material. What do you attribute this to?

J: Writing things that are bigger instead of faster.
Z: With the first one, we really liked Drive Like Jehu. Now we really like The Clash. But we still really like Drive Like Jehu. But we want to be Drive Like Jehu with less parts.

How much of this had to do with working with Alex Newport? Was he "hands-on"?

Z: English people don't like to be touched. So, no. But he was really great.
T: Alex has these nods he does and you have to learn to interpret what he means by them based on context. It's like reading the heads on Easter Island ... but once you got it on playback, you could hear he had a plan. And after the first time you see that happen, you learn to trust his intuitions.
J: It was like looking into the eyes of the truth.

And how did you get Nick Zinner in the mix for "Revelations"?

Z: I asked him to remix a song and he said "I would love to, Zack, I would LOVE to." Or words to that effect.
Who knew it was so easy!
T: Nick did an amazing job. I can't wait to see what people think of it.

How is that track gonna be released?

Z: I don't know exactly what we're going to do with it. It's going to be free. I know that.
J: Probably send it out into the ether when we go to the U.K.

Speaking of which, what, in your mind, will constitute a successful first tour there?

J: Coming back with smiles.
T: I'll feel successful if we don't come home broke.
Z: Nobody holding us personally responsible for the last 50 years of American foreign policy.

The ball's in your court, England! Thanks, Freshkills!