[Photo by Brian Appio]

According to a very cryptic post on the Matador Records blog today, Interpol lead singer/guitarist/lyricist Paul Banks will be releasing a solo album as Julian Plenti late this summer called Skyscraper.

Information about the album, set for release August 4, is sparse right now, since the blog is literally a photo of Banks with the words “Julian Plenti is Skyscraper” strung across the room like birthday banners. Our thanks to Billboard, who had the inside scoop:

Banks has written and performed under the Plenti moniker for several years, according to a source close to the situation. While the album was recorded recently, some of the songs were written more than ten years ago. The album is described as having a “cocky, sexy” feel, with tracks that sound similar to Interpol, as well as some straight-ahead guitar rock songs.

Still, none of this answers the real question; do the members of Interpol ever wear shorts?