The National have dropped their second album of 2023, Laugh Track. The 12-song LP is a companion to the previous project, First Two Pages of Frankenstein, released by 4AD in April. The band also confirmed new US tour dates for this autumn, as well as Australian shows next spring with support from longtime pals Fleet Foxes.
To hear the new single, ‘Deep End (Paul’s In Pieces), watch the excellent visualiser below, with artwork from Pauline de Lassus (also known as Mina Tindle).
Phoebe Bridgers and Rosanne Cash both feature as guest appearances, in addition to Bon Iver’s collab on ‘Weird Goodbyes’, released as a standalone track back in August 2022.
“It felt like the story had already been told. It was its own thing,” says group member Aaron Dessner of the latter track. “But it also felt related to what we were doing. That was part of the logic for making another record – let’s give ‘Weird Goobyes’ its own home.”
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According to The National’s publicists, it’s set to be the band’s “most freewheeling, all-hands-on-deck album in years”. Frankenstein… was, for many, an example of a 20-year-old band rebuilding trust, whereas Laugh Track will consolidate all of that and mark a statement of intent.
On the heels of selling-out New York’s famed Madison Square Garden during its first headlining show at the venue in August, The National begins a European tour Sept. 21 in Dublin, including two sold-out shows at London’s Alexandra Palace (click here for tickets). New U.S. dates will get underway 10 Nov in San Francisco, and will be followed by four newly announced shows in Australia in late February and early March 2024. For additional band information click here.
Formed in New York in 1999, The National’s last five albums have all been in the Top 5 in the UK charts, with 2017’s Grammy award-winning (for Best Alternative Album) Sleep Well Beast hitting Number 1. In the US, The National have scored five top 10 albums on The Billboard 200.
Laugh Track tracklist:
– Alphabet City
– Deep End (Paul’s in Pieces)
– Weird Goodbyes (feat. Bon Iver)
– Turn Off the House
– Dreaming
– Laugh Track (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
– Space Invader
– Hornets
– Coat on a Hook
– Tour Manager
– Crumble (feat. Rosanne Cash)
– Smoke Detector
The National on tour:
September 21 – Dublin, IRE – 3 Arena *
September 23 – Leeds, UK – First Direct Arena *
September 24 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro Arena *
September 26 – London, UK – Alexandra Palace * SOLD OUT
September 27 – London, UK – Alexandra Palace * SOLD OUT
September 29 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome ^ SOLD OUT
September 30 – Berlin, DE – Max-Schmeling-Halle ^ SOLD OUT
October 1 – Munich, DE – Zenith ^
October 4 – Madrid, ES – WiZink Center ^
October 5 – Porto, PT – Super Bock Arena ^ SOLD OUT
October 6 – Lisbon, PT – Campo Pequeno ^ SOLD OUT
October 7 – Lisbon, PT – Campo Pequeno ^
November 10 – San Francisco, CA – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium %
November 11 – San Diego, CA – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre %
November 13 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre %
November 14 – Albuquerque, NM – Kiva Auditorium %
November 16 – Tulsa, OK – Tulsa Theater %
November 17 – Austin, TX – Moody Center %
November 18 – Houston, TX – Lawn at White Oak %
November 19 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory %
February 28, 2024 – Brisbane, Australia – Riverstage ~
March 1, 2024 – Sydney, Australia – Aware Super Theatre ~
March 5, 2024 – Melbourne, Australia – Sidney Myer Music Bowl ~
March 9, 2024 – Perth, Australia – Kings Park & Botanic Garden ~
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