THE NATIONAL release new album + Taylor Swift focus single

Today, The National release their highly anticipated ninth studio album the First Two Pages of Frankenstein alongside the buzzed about focus track ‘The Alcott ft. Taylor Swift.’

One of the most cinematic and narratively driven moments on First Two Pages of Frankenstein, ‘The Alcott’ takes the form of a pensive yet luminous duet between Berninger and Swift. “Matt wrote the main part of the song to some music I had written which Taylor had heard and I knew liked, so I thought it might be something she would really click with,” says Aaron. “I sent it to her, and was a little nervous as I didn’t hear back for 20 minutes or so. By the time she responded, Taylor had written all her parts and recorded a voice memo with the lyrics she’d added in a dialogue with Matt, and everyone fell immediately in love with it.” Set to a gorgeously sparse backdrop of piano and strings, ‘The Alcott’ finds Berninger and Swift inhabiting the roles of a couple attempting to resurrect a troubled relationship, forging a finely drawn story nearly novelistic in scope. “It’s about two people with a long history returning to a place and trying to relive a certain moment in time,” says Berninger. “It’s got the feeling of a last-ditch effort to hold onto the relationship, but there’s a hint of something positive where you can see the beginnings of a reconnection.” 

While a sense of devotion to make music that educates and enlightens has led to extraordinary success—including winning a GRAMMY Award for Best Alternative Music Album (for 2017’s Sleep Well Beast), headlining festivals around the world, and working with countless culture-defining artists across all media—the Ohio-bred band found themselves faced with a creative crisis in the writing of their ninth studio album. “I was in a very dark spot where I couldn’t come up with lyrics or melodies at all, and that period lasted for over a year,” Berninger recalls.

The band decided not to worry so much about the record and instead focused their attention on their friendship and transforming the longstanding tensions within their musical partnership, consciously treating each other with a new level of grace. “At some point there was a feeling of all of us leaning into each other in a new way that ultimately allowed everyone to do what they do best,” says guitarist/pianist/bassist Aaron Dessner, whose bandmates also include his brother Bryce Dessner (guitar, piano, orchestration) as well as brothers Scott Devendorf (bass, guitar) and Bryan Devendorf (drums).

The eleven song First Two Pages of Frankenstein was produced by The National at Long Pond Studios in upstate New York and also features guest appearances by Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens. Since its February release, the first single from the new album, ‘Tropic Morning News,‘ has reached No. 1 on Billlboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart, marking The National’s first song to hit that peak since 2017 and was also A-listed at BBC Radio 6 Music.

The follow-up to I Am Easy to Find, First Two Pages of Frankenstein derives its title from a moment deep in Berninger’s bout with writer’s block. “When I feel stuck I’ll often grab a book off the shelf just to get some words in my head, and the first two pages of Frankenstein ended up triggering the song ‘Your Mind Is Not Your Friend,’” he says, referring to one of the album’s most bracingly introspective tracks.

Although the early stages of the album-making process mostly involved remote collaboration, Berninger’s songwriting took on an entirely new momentum after The National returned to the road in summer 2022. “When we finally came back together on tour, Matt started writing songs in a very rapid-fire way almost overnight—these full-hearted, fully formed songs were just pouring out,” says Bryce. Their collective creative energy was so potent, in fact, that the band soon began experimenting with recording new material live onstage.

After opening on the piano-led lament of ‘Once Upon a Poolside,’ First Two Pages of Frankenstein launches into the last song written for the album, the sublimely punchy ‘Eucalyptus.’ One of several tracks adorned with a gracefully frenetic guitar solo, ‘Eucalyptus’ came to life in a burst of charmed spontaneity during a tour stop at the legendary Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY. “I’d sent that song to Matt so long ago I’d forgotten about it, but he’d come up with lyrics and asked me to play it as we were sound-checking,” says Bryce. “We rehearsed it twice without ever having had a demo and played it to the audience that night, and what you hear on the album was partially recorded during that rehearsal. It’s got this raw, immediate feeling, and it made sense to leave the rough edges instead of trying to perfect them.” 

With the album-closing ‘Send For Me,’ First Two Pages of Frankenstein ends on an ineffably hopeful note, one that surprised the band itself. “I didn’t even realize it as we were making it, but the record does follow a sort of journey that has to do with letting go of attachment and then coming back to it in a stronger way,” says Bryce. Referring to ‘Send For Me’ as “one of the most unconditionally positive songs I’ve ever written,” Berninger partly credits his bandmates with helping him to approach his songwriting from an unexpected and undeniably welcome perspective.

The National – ‘Your Mind Is Not Your Friend’ (Official Video)
Stream / Purchase: https://thenational.ffm.to/yourmindisnotyourfriend

Stream / Download First Two Pages of Frankenstein: https://thenational.ffm.to/f2pof

The National – First Two Pages Of Frankenstein
is out now via 4AD

1. Once Upon A Poolside (feat. Sufjan Stevens)
2. Eucalyptus
3. New Order T-Shirt
4. This Isn’t Helping (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
5. Tropic Morning News
6. Alien
7. The Alcott (feat. Taylor Swift)
8. Grease In Your Hair
9. Ice Machines
10. Your Mind Is Not Your Friend (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
11. Send For Me

The National
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