One of the most highly anticipated albums of this year is The National’s First Two Pages Of Frankenstein, which features Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers, and Sufjan Stevens. After cryptic mail and password-protected websites, they unveiled the lead single “Tropic Morning News.”
The band is back today with the new single “New Order T-Shirt.” The song is a twinkly, wistful ballad that serves as a compilation of memories. “I keep what I can of you / Split second glimpses and snapshots and sounds / You in my New Order t-shirt / Holding a cat and a glass of beer,” Matt Berninger croons, the image as vivid as a real photograph.
“To me the line ‘I keep what I can of you’ means something about everyone I’ve ever known or loved,” Aaron Dessner said in a statement. “There’s a simplicity to ‘New Order T-Shirt’ that reminds me of our earlier records, but with the full maturity and experience we have now. It feels like a really important song for the future of our band.”
The National also teamed up with New Order for a literal, limited-edition New Order t-shirt, because why not? Check it out here.
Listen to “New Order T-Shirt” above.
First Two Pages Of Frankenstein is out 4/28 via 4AD. Pre-order it here.