The National: 'First Two Pages of Frankenstein' Out Now

The National has released its ninth studio album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein, on 4AD.

+ Buy the album on webstore exclusive white LP from the 4AD Store here +
+ Buy the album on indie retail red LP, from your favourite local store, here +
+ Stream and buy the album on all digital platforms here +

"Their finest album in a decade"
- NME *****
"Arguably the most influential rock band in the world"
- The Telegraph
"A wry, melancholy album of remarkable focus"
- Wall Street Journal
"The National find new energy by conjuring not just a great, suffocating fog but also the far light that guides the way out"
- Rolling Stone

Also out today is a lyric video for the new album’s song 'The Alcott', a pensive yet luminous duet between The National’s Matt Berninger and Taylor Swift. 

“Matt wrote the main part of the song to some music I had written which Taylor had heard and I knew liked, so I thought it might be something she would really click with,” says The National’s Aaron Dessner of 'The Alcott'.  “I sent it to her, and was a little nervous as I didn't hear back for 20 minutes or so.  By the time she responded, Taylor had written all her parts and recorded a voice memo with the lyrics she’d added in a dialogue with Matt, and everyone fell immediately in love with it.  It felt meant to be." 

Set to a gorgeously sparse backdrop of piano and strings, 'The Alcott' finds Berninger and Swift inhabiting the roles of a couple attempting to resurrect a troubled relationship, forging a finely drawn story nearly novelistic in scope.  “It’s about two people with a long history returning to a place and trying to relive a certain moment in time,” says Berninger.  “It’s got the feeling of a last-ditch effort to hold onto the relationship, but there’s a hint of something positive where you can see the beginnings of a reconnection.”

The 11-song First Two Pages of Frankenstein was produced by The National at Long Pond Studios in upstate New York and features guest appearances by Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens.  Earlier this year, 'Tropic Morning News' spent five weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Airplay chart, marking The National’s first song to hit that peak since 2017.  Jumping off from the second pre-release track, 'New Order T-Shirt', The National also partnered with New Order on an actual, limited-edition New Order T-Shirt that pays homage to the Manchester band’s iconic album designs, with a portion of the proceeds from the collab going to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.  A video for 'Your Mind Is Not Your Friend' featuring Phoebe Bridgers was released mid-April, directed by Bridgers’ brother Jackson.

On Thursday night the band returned toThe Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and performed 'Eucalyptus'.

The National – First Two Pages Of Frankenstein
4AD0566

1. Once Upon A Poolside (feat. Sufjan Stevens)
2. Eucalyptus
3. New Order T-Shirt
4. This Isn’t Helping (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
5. Tropic Morning News
6. Alien
7. The Alcott (feat. Taylor Swift)
8. Grease in Your Hair
9. Ice Machines
10. Your Mind Is Not Your Friend (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
11. Send for Me

The National will begin a 2023 world tour with a four-night stand in Chicago on May 18. The itinerary, with numerous shows already sold out, also includes the band’s first show at New York’s Madison Square Garden on 18th Augusr with very special guest Patti Smith and her band. Other shows feature opening sets from Soccer Mommy, The Beths and Bartees Strange.  Tickets are on sale now; more information can be found at americanmary.com.

May

18th - Auditorium Theatre, Chicago IL, US*
19th - Auditorium Theatre, Chicago IL, US* [SOLD OUT]
20th - Auditorium Theatre, Chicago IL, US* [SOLD OUT]
21st - Auditorium Theatre, Chicago IL, US* [SOLD OUT] 
23rd - The Anthem, Washington DC, US*
24th - The Anthem, Washington DC, US* [SOLD OUT]
26th - Boston Calling Festival, Boston MA, US
28th - Bottlerock Festival, Napa CA, US
30th - Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CA, US* [SOLD OUT] 
31st - Greek Theatre, Los Angeles CA, US* 

June
2nd - McMenamins Edgefield, Troutdale, OR, US*
3rd - McMenamins Edgefield, Troutdale, OR, US* [SOLD OUT]
4th - Marymoor Park , Redmond WA, US* [SOLD OUT] 
5th - Festival Lawn at Deer Lake Park, Burnaby BC, Canada*

August
1st - The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA, US~ [SOLD OUT]  
2nd - The Met Philadelphia, Philadelphia PA, US~
3rd - Westville Music Bowl, New Haven CT, US~
5th - Osheaga Festival, Montral QC, Canada
7th - The Fillmore Detroit, Detroit MI, US~  [SOLD OUT] 
8th - The Sylvee, Madison WI, US~  [SOLD OUT] 
9th - The Armory, Minneapolis, MN, US~
11th - Mission Ballroom, Denver CO, US~  [SOLD OUT] 
12th - Mission Ballroom, Denver CO, US~  
15th - Ascend Amphitheater, Nashville TN, US~
16th - Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park, Atlanta GA, US~
18th - Madison Square Garden with very special guest Patti Smith and
her band, New York NY, US
20th - Budweiser Stage with very special guest Patti Smith and her band and U.S. Girls, Toronto ON, Canada

September
21st - 3 Arena, Dublin, Ireland*
23rd - First Direct Arena , Leeds, UK*
24th - OVO Hydro Arena, Glasgow, UK*
26th - Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace, UK* [SOLD OUT] 
27th - Alexandra Palace, Alexandra Palace, UK* 
29th - Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, The Netherlands^
30th - Max-Schmeling-Halle, Berlin, Germany^

October
1st - Zenith, Munich, Germany^
4th - WiZink Center, Madrid, Spain^
5th - Super Bock Arena, Porto, Portugal^
6th - Campo Pequeno, Lisbon, Portugal^
7th - Campo Pequeno, Lisbon, Portugal^

* - supported by Soccer Mommy
~ - supported by The Beths
^ - supported by Bartees Strange