As the new year rolls around, The National are gearing up for a big celebration. 2021 marks the 20th anniversary of their self-titled debut album, which stood as an early precursor to two decades of influential music. To celebrate the occasion, the band announced they will remaster a handful of their early albums.
The National unveiled plans to remaster their first three albums: 2001’s The National, 2003’s Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers, and 2004’s Cherry Tree EP. Each project will be reworked, pressed to vinyl, and released on a CD this February to give fans a chance to revisit their musical beginnings.
While the band is looking back at their early efforts, vocalist Matt Berninger has recently expanded his music with his solo career. The singer put out his 10-track debut solo album Serpentine Prison this year, which he recorded with Booker T. Jones. Speaking about the project with Uproxx upon its release, Berninger described his working relationship with Jones: “We moved really fast. We recorded everything in 14 days including almost all the overdubs. He would say, ‘Matt we got that one, let’s move on to another fish.’ He’s like, ‘We don’t need to keep catching this tuna. Let’s go find a shark.’ He moves fast.”
The National, Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers, and Cherry Tree EP remasters are out 12/26/21 via 4AD. Pre-order them here.