The National‘s brooding, baritone frontman Matt Berninger has teamed up with Brent Knopf of Ramona Falls and Menomena for a new project called EL VY, which, according to the duo, is “pronounced like a plural of Elvis; rhymes with ‘hell pie.'”
The duo have announced that their debut album Return to the Moon will be released in October on 4AD, and have shared the album’s opening track “Return to the Moon (Political Song for Didi Bloome to Sing, with Crescendo),” which thankfully sounds nothing like multiple Elvis’s nor anything related to a “hell pie.” Watch the lyric video below.
According to the press release, the collaboration has been a long time coming:
Their friendship spans nearly a decade, starting back when the National and Menomena played small half-empty clubs along America’s west coast. Feeling an immediate musical kinship, the pair kept in touch, Brent sending Matt occasional rough sketches of music and Matt responding with melodies and lyrics. Finally, in the winter and spring of 2014-15, they actually got together to make an album.
EL VY will hit the road for a short tour at the end of the year. Check out the dates below, along with Check the Return to the Moon artwork and tracklist.
Return to the Moon tracklist
1. Return to the Moon (Political Song for Didi Bloome to Sing, with Crescendo) 
2. I’m the Man to Be
3. Paul Is Alive
4. Need a Friend
5. Silent Ivy Hotel
6. No Time to Crank the Sun
7. It’s a Game
8. Sleepin’ Light (feat. Ural Thomas)
9. Sad Case
10. Happiness, Missouri
11. Careless
EL VY tour dates
November
02 – Portland, OR, Doug Fir Lounge
03 – Portland, OR, Doug Fir Lounge
04 – Seattle, WA, Neumos
06 – Sas Francisco, CA, The Independent
07 – Los Angeles, CA, Troubadour
10 – Philadelphia, PA, Union Transfer
11 – Washington, DC, 9:30 Club
13 – New York, NY, Bowery Ballroom
14 – Brooklyn, NY, Music Hall of Williamsburg
15 – Boston, MA, The Sinclair
19 – Chicago, IL, Metro
20 – Milwaukee, WI, Turner Hall Ballroom
21 – Minneapolis, MN, First Avenue
