Today, The National shared a new single "Tropic Morning News" that announces their ninth studio album First Two Pages of Frankenstein that's out April 28 via 4AD. The 11-track LP was produced by the band at Long Pond Studios in upstate New York. It also has some stellar guest features, including Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers, and Sufjan Stevens. Lead singer Matt Berninger shared that the album followed “a very dark spot where I couldn’t come up with lyrics or melodies at all. 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.”
Berninger added that after this creative stalemate, the band arrived at "what feels like a new era" for them. “When Matt came in with ['Tropic Morning News'] in the depths of his depression, it felt like a turning point for us,” Aaron Dessner added. “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 song was recorded partly live in Hamburg and co-written with Berninger’s wife Carin Besser.
“The idea of referring to the darkness of the news in such a light way unlocked something in me,” Berninger added about the song's content. “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.”
Listen to "Tropic Morning News" below, and pre-order the album here. You can also check out the group's forthcoming tour dates with Soccer Mommy and The Beths below.
