The National: Last News

Boston is calling your name.From May 26-28, the annual Boston Calling Music Festival is dropping into the Harvard Athletic Complex for three days of music, incredible culinary treats, craft beverages, fun and more.Just a few of the headliners on the bill this year include big names like Foo Fighters, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The National, Niall Horan and Chelsea Cutler.And that’s just day one of the fest.On Saturday, May 27, The Lumineers, Alanis Morissette, Noah Kahan, The Flaming Lips and Mt. Joy will take the stage.Finally, the Memorial Day weekend extravaganza comes to a close with Paramore, Queens of the Stone Age, Bleachers, Maren Morris and The Walkmen on Sunday, May 28.Need last-minute tickets?We’re happy to report that some single-day general admission passes are going for as low as $100 before fees on Vivid Seats.Three-day passes start at a very reasonable $205 before fees.Sound intriguing but not enough information?Keep reading.

The National in their hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio, has announced the line-up for its 2023 edition.The two-day event returns to Smale Park on September 15 and 16 and will, as ever, be headlined by the band themselves, who will play two unique headline sets. It will also play host to the likes of Patti Smith, Pavement and The Walkmen.Weyes Blood, Snail Mail, Bartees Strange, Arooj Aftab, Julia Jacklin, The Drin, Leo Pastel, Carriers, and Ballard all complete the line-up.“When we launched Homecoming in 2018, we were overwhelmed by the response from the community and by our renewed sense of connection to our hometown,” The National said in a statement [via Consequence of Sound].

The National, and claimed that he wishes he “could be Matt Berninger”.He made the comments in a new YouTube video this week (May 3), which saw him share his views on the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame class with longtime colleagues Barbara Gaines and Mary Barclay.While sharing his thoughts on this year’s inductees — which include George Michael, Rage Against The Machine and Kate Bush — Letterman also expressed his “disappointment” at singer-songwriter Warren Zevon being snubbed.It was here that the conversation shifted to the former television host’s fondness for Matt Berninger-fronted band, The National. “Oh, I love the National,” he explained, going on to label them as “your saddest friend’s favourite band.”He also expressed his admiration for one of their songs, which wasn’t featured on their latest LP, ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’: “They had this song called ‘Weird Goodbyes,’ which is not on the new album,” he said, going on to recite some of the song’s lyrics.

The National’s Aaron Dessner has defended working with Ed Sheeran on his upcoming album ‘–’, saying he’s “tired of the ‘what’s cool?’ debate.”Dessner co-wrote and co-produced Sheeran’s ‘-’ (‘Subtract’), which is due out May 5.“For the first time I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life,” Sheeran said when he announced his sixth album. It was written when the musician was “spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety”.In a new interview with The Guardian, Dessner said that he wanted to bring out “the vulnerability and emotion in [Sheeran] to make music that would not normally be his inclination”.“I didn’t feel the need to try to make pop music,” Dessner added.The pair worked on 32 songs together in a studio in Kent, with 14 of them making it onto the album.

The National have shared a lyric video for their new song with Taylor Swift, ‘The Alcott’.READ MORE: The National on pulling back from the brink: “It’s felt fragile before, but this time was different”The single is taken from their newly-debuted album, ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’, which was released today (April 28), and sees the indie five-piece team up with pop icon Taylor Swift.Now, the band have shared an official lyric video for the emotional track, which also features in-studio footage of the band and Swift. Check it out below.Ahead of the release of their ninth studio album, The National spoke to NME about the inspiration behind the LP, and their long-running relationship with the ‘Anti-Hero’ singer — which first formed over a decade ago.According to the members, Aaron Dessner sent Swift the song shortly after it was written, and she responded within half an hour, making it into the track it is today.

The National‘s Aaron Dessner has praised Taylor Swift‘s ‘Eras Tour’, calling it “the greatest show I’ve ever seen”.Dessner co-wrote and co-produced Swift’s surprise 2020 albums ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore’ alongside Jack Antonoff. He went on to work with the singer on the 2021 re-recorded versions of ‘Fearless’ and ‘Red’.Earlier this month, Dessner joined Swift onstage in Tampa, Florida to perform collaborative renditions of ‘The Great War’ (a track he produced for the ‘3am Edition’ of ‘Midnights’) and ‘Mad Woman’ from ‘Folklore’.During a new interview with NME, Dessner opened up about reuniting with Swift on The National’s ninth studio album ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’, which is released this Friday (April 28).The pop star will feature on ‘The Alcott’, a song NME‘s Thomas Smith described as a “subtle duet” and “a back-and-forth conversation between frontman [Matt] Berninger and [Swift]”.After praising the singer’s work ethic and creative process, Dessner spoke about her current ‘Eras Tour’ in North America.“It’s just kind of… the greatest show I’ve ever seen,” the musician told NME.

Taylor Swift’s songs were originally intended to be released by The National.The news was revealed by The National’s own Aaron Dessner and Matt Berninger in a new interview yesterday (April 20). According to the members, the Taylor Swift songs ‘Willow’ and ‘Cardigan’ were handed over to the pop star after they struggled to make them come together.The first track, ‘Willow’, was released on Swift’s ninth studio album, ‘Evermore’, whereas the second, ‘Cardigan’ was released on 2020 LP, ‘Folklore’.“I’d taken a swing at [‘Cardigan’] and ‘Willow’ and a couple of others, and I wasn’t having a lot of luck, so Aaron sent them to Taylor,” Berninger recalled to The Telegraph.He also explained that the opposite has happened in the past, where the band have released tracks that were initially intended for Swift.

Taylor Swift welcomed special guest Aaron Dessner to the ‘Eras’ tour in Florida last night (April 14) – watch them give a live debut to ‘The Great War’ below.Dessner, who produced Swift’s lockdown albums ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore’, joined Swift for a song in the ‘surprise’ section of the set, where Swift plays a different track each night, often giving songs live debuts or dusting off rarities.On Thursday night in Tampa, Dessner joined her to play ‘The Great War’, a track he produced from the ‘3am Edition’ of Swift’s 2022 album ‘Midnights’.For the second surprise song, Swift gave another live debut to a track from ‘Midnights’, ‘You’re On Your Own, Kid’.See footage of both performances below.Taylor Swift com Aaron Dessner cantando "The Great War", bônus track do "Midnights"

Phoebe Bridgers has spoken out on her love for The National – as well as her collaboration on their upcoming album, ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’.Bridgers had previously joined The National on stage numerous times in 2019 to perform songs from their previous album ‘I Am Easy To Find‘, with the singer-songwriter and Boygenius member also collaborating with frontman Matt Berninger on the single ‘Walking On A String’ ahead of his 2020 debut solo album ‘Serpentine Prison‘.As part of an exclusive cover interview with The National and their collaborators for the latest issue of Uncut, Bridgers discussed her admiration for the indie veterans.“My friends and I have this joke about The National,” started Bridgers. “Obviously they’re hugely popular, but we still feel this ownership over them.”Adopting a ‘stroppy and possessive’ tone, she mimicked an argument with her friends,”‘No but you don’t like them in the right way! Do you even understand how profound this band is?'” before adding: “Because they are profoundly fucking amazing.”On the band’s new album ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’, Bridgers features on two tracks – the new single ‘Your Mind Is Not Your Friend’ and ‘This Isn’t Helping’.

The National have shared a new single featuring Phoebe Bridgers – listen to ‘Your Mind Is Not Your Friend’ below.The melancholic piano-led song serves as the fourth and final preview of the band’s ninth album ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’, which is due for release on April 28 (pre-order here).“Don’t you understand?/ Your mind is not your friend again/ It takes you by the hand/ And leaves you nowhere,” frontman Matt Berninger croons as Bridgers delivers a haunting backing vocal in unison.Per a press release, the single “confronts the entanglements of the habitual mind and the overwhelming nature of scrutiny”, and emerged during a period of writer’s block for Berninger.‘Your Mind Is Not Your Friend’ is accompanied by a nostalgic official video, which was directed by Bridgers’ brother Jackson. Filmed in Los Angeles, the clip stars Berninger’s brother Tom – tune in above.Recently, Matt Berninger opened up about how the single’s title and lyrics had been inspired by the advice his wife Carin Besser had given him as he battled depression.

The National frontman Matt Berninger has spoken candidly about his battle with depression and writer’s block, and how he documented it on the band’s upcoming album, ‘First Pages Of Frankenstein’.Berninger was speaking in an exclusive cover interview for the latest issue of Uncut, where he revealed how the COVID period after The National’s last record ‘I Am Easy To Find‘ [2019] and his 2020 debut solo album ‘Serpentine Prison‘ saw him facing “burnout” and a depression he likened to “the train going off the tracks”. He explained said he found himself unable to write lyrics for a whole year.“Usually when I’m in a troubled place, I can make something out of it, and write a song about it, and that does a lot to solve it,” he said. “This time, I didn’t want to.

Aaron Dessner has taken to social media to pay tribute to Sharon Van Etten’s iconic album, ‘Tramp’, which he claims is the first record he ever produced. An anniversary edition of the album and a previously unreleased song have also been launched.The producer took to Facebook yesterday to celebrate 11-years since the release of Sharon Van Etten’s ‘Tramp’ album.Alongside sharing two images, Dessner also wrote a moving caption, explaining how the album impacted his career and stating that it still “remains so special” to him.“Tramp was the first record I produced,” he said.

The National have shared a melancholy new song, ‘Eucalyptus’ – check it out below.The track’s release was announced yesterday and marks the third taster the band have shared, after ‘New Order T-Shirt’ and ‘Tropic Morning News’, to be taken from the band’s upcoming album ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’. The album is scheduled to drop on April 28 via 4AD and will feature collaborations with Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens. Per a press release, Bryce Dessner sent the song to Matt Berninger a long time ago, which he later added lyrics to after remembering the song.

The National will be releasing a new single, ‘Eucalyptus’, tomorrow (March 22).The track is set to the third single, after ‘New Order T-Shirt’ and ‘Tropic Morning News’, to be taken from the band’s upcoming album ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’. The album is scheduled to drop on April 28 via 4AD and will feature collaborations with Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens. ‘Eucalyptus’ might sound familiar to The National superfans, as the band previously played the song live last year on tour — check out footage below.Several other new songs have debuted in the same way, including ‘Tropic Morning News (Haversham)’ and Bon Iver collaboration ‘Weird Goodbyes’, as well as other as yet unreleased songs such as ‘Grease In Your Hair (Birdie)’, and ‘Bathwater (Mount Auburn)’.Speaking to NME about new music last year, The National’s guitarist Bryce Dessner said: “What I can say is that we’re at a high watermark in terms of our creativity as a band.

The National took to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to perform their new single ‘Tropic Morning News’ late last night (March 3) – check out the footage below.Earlier this year, The National confirmed details of their ninth studio album ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’.Set for release April 28, the album will feature collaborations with Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens.Alongside the album announce, the band also shared lead single ‘Tropic Morning News’ which they performed on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon last night. Check it out below:Co-written with frontman Matt Berninger’s wife Carin Besser, the track takes its title from a phrase Besser invented to describe the regrettably routine practice of doomscrolling.“The idea of referring to the darkness of the news in such a light way unlocked something in me,” said Berninger.

Aaron Dessner has opened up about his experience of working with Ed Sheeran on the latter’s upcoming fifth album, ‘-‘ (‘Subtract’).Sheeran announced the 14-track record earlier this week, saying that it reflects his “deepest darkest thoughts” against a backdrop of personal turmoil.“It’s opening the trapdoor into my soul,” the singer-songwriter explained. “For the first time I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life.”The National’s Dessner teamed up with Sheeran on writing and production for the LP.

The National have shared a second preview of their new album ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’ – listen to the moving ‘New Order T-Shirt’ below.The band’s ninth album, and first since 2019’s ‘I Am Easy To Find’, will be released on April 28 via 4AD and feature cameos from Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens. Swift will appear on ‘The Allcott’ while Bridgers is set to feature on ‘This Isn’t Helping’ and ‘Your Mind Is Not Your Friend’.

Bruce Springsteen and The National‘s Bryce Dessner have collaborated on a new song for Rebecca Miller’s film She Came To Me called ‘Addicted To Romance’.The romantic comedy starring Peter Dinklage as a moody classical composer is due to have its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival this week.‘Addicted To Romance’, which was written and performed by Springsteen and orchestrated by Dessner, who also worked on the film’s score, will be heard for the first time during the screening on February 16.Speaking of Springsteen’s contribution to the film, Miller said (via Variety): “I really love Bruce’s music. For the end of ‘She Came to Me,’ we wanted an original song.

Aaron and Bryce Dessner of The National, have announced details of their self-titled debut album and shared its lead single.‘Complete Mountain Almanac’ was formed after Karijord set out to make an album “about climate change in 12 suites, representing the 12 months of the year,” and approached her friend of 15 years, Jessica – who works as a poet, dancer and multimedia artist based in Italy – to contribute “poetic and lyrical” elements to the project.The band and album’s title came from a book of poetry written by Jessica in the wake of her breast cancer diagnosis, as well as coming to reflect the environmental themes on the record. Watch the video for ‘May’, featuring a video directed by Olof Grind, below.The album was recorded at Paris’ St. Germain studios, and features instrumentation and co-production from both Aaron and Bryce Dessner.

The National have shared a remix of Neu!‘s 1972 track ‘Im Glück’ – you can listen to it below.Matt Berninger and co’s new interpretation of the song will feature as part of Neu!’s 50th anniversary boxset, which is due for release on September 23 via British-German label Grönland Records (pre-order here).The atmospheric eight-minute spin on ‘Im Glück’ will serve as the opening track on the 10-song ‘Tribute’ album. Other contributors include Idles, Mogwai, Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip, and Stephen Morris of New Order.Morris and Gabe Gurnsey shared their take on ‘Hallogallo’ back in June.

The National played a surprise, secret acoustic set at Edinburgh’s Connect Festival in memory of Frightened Rabbit‘s Scott Hutchison – see footage below.Yesterday (August 28) festival-goers were alerted to the message, “Secret set added – 7.45pm at the Tiny Changes x Gardeners Cottage”, and soon discovered that The National’s Matt Berninger, Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner were performing at the Scottish festival’s new stage to pay tribute to their late friend.The band, who were headlining the festival, played ‘Sorrow’ and ‘About Today’, telling the crowd for the latter track, “Whenever we play this one we think of Scott,” and singing the words, “Today…You were far away…and I… Didn’t ask you why“.The Tiny Changes x Gardeners Cottage was set up at the festival in association with Tiny Changes, the charity for supporting young people’s mental health that was set up in memory of Hutchison who died by suicide in 2018.It’s Scotland’s first national children and young people’s mental health charity and raised more than £4,500 during the course of the festival weekend.Scott performed at the original Connect Festival in 2006 on a similar stage.Aaron Dessner of The National said: “Thank you so much, it’s a pleasure to support Tiny Changes. Scott was a really close friend of ours, and like you guys, we were huge fans of Frightened Rabbit.“We were devastated when he left.