In April, The National released First Two Pages Of Frankenstein. Next month, they’re hosting their Homecoming Festival after a five-year break, with artists like Patti Smith And Her Band, Pavement, The Walkmen, Weyes Blood, and more in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Now they’ve shared two new songs, “Space Invader” and “Alphabet City,” their first new material since the record. Both move gently with their slow-burning, intimate brand of indie rock. It also has their remarkably visceral lyrics sung in a hushed lull. “I’ll still be here when you come back from space / I will listen for you at the door,” Matt Berninger sings. “Take forever off anytime you want / I’ll save your place.”
Aside from their own music, The National is known for collaborating with Taylor Swift on Folklore and Evermore. Aaron Dessner also worked with Ed Sheeran for the pop star’s latest album – (Subtract). “I couldn’t be more proud of this record and the vulnerability and honesty Ed showed in making these songs with me,” Dessner wrote in a statement. “There’s something deeply vulnerable and ultimately cathartic and therapeutic about shifting sadness and pain and anxiety into music, transforming darkness into light in this way and sharing these sentiments with others.”
Listen to “Space Invader” and “Alphabet City” above.