We are a little over a month away from The National’s upcoming ninth studio album, First Two Pages Of Frankenstein. Today (March 21), the band has given us another preview of the album with their new song, “Eucalyptus.”
On “Eucalyptus,” lead vocalist Matt Berninger struggles with getting through a breakup. While he and his ex have done the hard part already, navigating the smaller parts seems to be just as challenging.
“What about the rainbow eucalyptus? What about the instruments / What about the Cowboy Junkies / What about the Afghan Whigs,” sings Beninger on one of the song’s chorus.
Upon the song’s release, Berninger revealed that the song tells the story of a couple deciding who gets what after a split.
“Throughout the record there’s a lot of looking into the abyss and wondering if a relationship has run its course,” Berninger said in a statement. “‘Eucalyptus’ is about a couple splitting up their possessions after a breakup — like, ‘What are we going to do with the spring water we get delivered, what’s going to happen to all these plants?’ It’s about all those little things you end up having to think about when you’ve become so connected to someone.”
The song’s accompanying music video features The National rehearsing at Long Pond Studio.
Listen to ‘Eucalyptus’ above.
First Two Pages Of Frankenstein is out 4/28 via 4AD. Find more information here.