Signing to a major label didn’t make a huge difference in Interpol’s music, which is probably OK with fans.

Our Love to Admire, the New York City band’s third album and their first for Capitol Records, continues to explore the gloomy post-punk palette of northern England, circa 1982. Vocalist Paul Banks still intones his moody lyrics in a shaky baritone that prompts comparisons to Joy Division, and lead guitarist Daniel Kessler still spearheads an angular, atmospheric sound that recalls New Order, the Cure and Echo & the Bunnymen.

The proof will be on stage Tuesday when Interpol plays the Murat Egyptian Room.

Clearly, the band carved out a niche with its well-received earlier albums on indie label Matador, 2002’s Turn on the Bright Lights and 2004’s Antics. Each sold nearly half a million copies in the United States alone, and the subsequent three-year wait made Our Love to Admire one of the most anticipated alt-rock releases of 2007.

The disc hit streets July 10 and promptly landed at No. 4 on Billboard’s album chart, Interpol’s highest U.S. chart debut yet. According to Capitol, the album also hit No. 2 in the U.K. and cracked the Top 20 in 13 other countries. Music magazines were poised to debate its merits, with Spin putting the band on the cover of its August issue. The quartet, plus keyboard player, also appeared earlier this month on Late Night with David Letterman, delivering a solid take on the first single, “The Heinrich Maneuver.” Critics generally are praising the release, and hardcore fans presumably are debating whether bassist Carlos D made the right move in trading his pointy goth sideburns for an ironic ’70s porn mustache.

The album’s strong start seems to ratify the band’s busy ’07 touring schedule, which began in April with the Coachella festival in Southern California. After opening the main U.S. tour July 19, the band is crisscrossing the country through October (with August side trips to more festivals in the U.K. and Japan) before heading back to Europe in November.