Over the past week or so, The National have been doing mysterious stuff. First they mailed some cryptic stuff to their fans, then they shared a password-locked website that seemed to tease collaborations with Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers, and Sufjan Stevens. Now, the inevitable news is here: The National have a new album, First Two Pages Of Frankenstein, on the way.
Indeed, the upcoming LP, set to drop on April 28, does feature Swift, Bridgers, and Stevens. The band shared the lead single, “Tropic Morning News,” today (one of the songs they debuted live back in May 2022).
In a press release, Aaron Dessner says of the track, “When Matt [Berninger] came in with that song in the depths of his depression, it felt like a turning point for us. It’s almost Dylan-esque in its lyrics and it’s so much fun to play; everything suddenly felt like it was coming alive again.”
The album came after a period when Berninger was in “a very dark spot where I couldn’t come up with lyrics or melodies at all,” as he put it. He continued, “Even though we’d always been anxious whenever we were working on a record, this was the first time it ever felt like maybe things really had come to an end.” Bryce Dessner noted that eventually, the band “managed to come back together and approach everything from a different angle, and because of that we arrived at what feels like a new era for the band.” Aaron Dessner added, “To me, the power of this record has to do with the intentionality and structure of the music meeting with a lot of accidental magic.”
On top of all that, the band announced tour dates for this year, featuring support from Soccer Mommy, Bartees Strange, and The Beths.
Listen to “Tropic Morning News” above. Below, find the First Two Pages Of Frankenstein art and tracklist, along with The National’s upcoming tour dates.
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”
05/20 — Chicago, IL @ Auditorium Theatre *
05/21 — Chicago, IL @ Auditorium Theatre *
05/24 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem *
05/26 — Boston, MA @ Boston Calling Festival
05/28 — Napa, CA @ Bottlerock Festival
05/30 — Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre *
06/02 — Troutdale, OR @ McMenamins Edgefield *
06/03 — Troutdale, OR @ McMenamins Edgefield *
06/04 — Redmond, WA @ Marymoor Park *
06/05 — Burnaby, BC, Canada @ Festival Lawn at Deer Lake Park *
08/01 — Philadelphia, PA @ The Met Philadelphia ~
08/03 — New Haven, CT @ Westville Music Bowl ~
08/07 — Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit ~
08/08 — Madison, WI @ The Sylvee ~
08/09 — Minneapolis, MN @ The Armory ~
08/11 — Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom ~
08/15 — Nashville, TN @ Ascend Amphitheater ~
08/16 — Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park ~
08/18 — New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden (with very special guest Patti Smith and her band)
09/21 — Dublin, IRE @ 3 Arena *
09/23 — Leeds, UK @ First Direct Arena *
09/24 — Glasgow, UK @ OVO Hydro Arena *
09/26 — London, UK @ Alexandra Palace *
09/29 — Amsterdam, NL @ Ziggo Dome ^
09/30 — Berlin, DE @ Max-Schmeling-Halle ^
10/01 — Munich, DE @ Zenith ^
10/04 — Madrid, ES @ WiZink Center ^
10/05 — Porto, PT @ Super Bock Arena ^
10/06 — Lisbon, PT @ Campo Pequeno ^
* with Soccer Mommy
~ with The Beths
^ with Bartees Strange
First Two Pages Of Frankenstein is out 4/28 via 4AD. Pre-order it here.