The National detailed a new album, First Two Pages Of Frankenstein, due out on April 28 via 4AD and featuring Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens. The band also shared the single “Tropic Morning News” along with a slew of 2023 tour dates.
First Two Pages Of Frankenstein is The National’s first album since 2019’s I Am Easy To Find. The band — Matt Berninger, Bryce Dessner, Aaron Dessner, Scott Devendorf and Bryan Devendorf — recorded and produced the album at Long Pond Studios in upstate New York.
The new LP grew out of “a very dark spot where I couldn’t come up with lyrics or melodies at all,” frontman Matt Berninger revealed. “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.”
But Berninger and the band pushed through and “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,” guitarist/pianist Bryce Dessner added.
The National previewed the LP with the single “Tropic Morning News,” a road-tested tune that was partially recorded live in Hamburg. “When Matt came in with that song in the depths of his depression, it felt like a turning point for us,” Aaron Dessner said. “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.”
Berninger co-wrote “Tropic Morning News” with his wife Carin Besser and the title is a phrase Carin came up with for doom scrolling. “The idea of referring to the darkness of the news in such a light way unlocked something in me,” Berninger said. “It became a song about having a hard time expressing yourself, and trying to connect with someone when the noise of the world is drowning out any potential for conversation.”
Check out the lyric video for “Tropic Morning News” below:
Along with the album announcement and single drop, The National also confirmed 2023 tour dates with support from Soccer Mommy, The Beths and Bartees Strange on select dates. The band gets the North American leg underway with a two-night stand in Chicago on May 20 and 21. The National will also perform in Washington D.C. and at Boston Calling before heading out to the West Coast.
Anchoring the West Coast run with an appearance at the BottleRock festival in Napa, California on May 28, the band will also perform in Los Angeles, two nights in Troutdale, Oregon along with engagements in the Seattle and Vancouver areas which wrap up on June 5.
After a couple months off, The National return to the East Coast in Philadelphia on August 1 before heading up to New Haven, Connecticut. The band will then swing through the Midwest with stops in Detroit, Madison and Minneapolis ahead of a Denver play on August 11. Shows in Nashville and Atlanta follow ahead of the North American tour closer at Madison Square Garden in New York City on August 18 with special guests Patti Smith and her band. The National will then head across the pond for a bevy of UK and EU dates.
Following various pre-sales, tickets go on sale to the general on Friday, January 27 at 10 a.m. local venie time. Purchase The National tickets via Ticketmaster.
First Two Pages Of Frankenstein Tracklist:
- Once Upon A Poolside (feat. Sufjan Stevens)
- Eucalyptus
- New Order T-Shirt
- This Isn’t Helping (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
- Tropic Morning News
- Alien
- The Alcott (feat. Taylor Swift)
- Grease In Your Hair
- Ice Machines
- Your Mind Is Not Your Friend (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
- Send For Me
