American indie rocker The National will be back with a new album in the spring. It will be called “The First Two Pages of Frankenstein”, it will be released on April 28 and will feature eleven songs and three notable guests. They are Phoebe Bridgers who appears in two songs, as well as Sufjan Stevens and Taylor Swift. The collection follows a four-year “I’m Easy to Find” effort. Both of the last two singles released would be missing from the album. Neither “Somebody Desperate” from the soundtrack to the film “Cyrano” nor “Weird Goodbyes” featuring Bon Iver made it onto the final track list. The song “Tropic Morning News” served as the pilot single. News preparation is by no means a walk in the park. The musicians even temporarily halted the process, as frontman Matt Berninger reached a point where he could not come up with any additional lyrics or melodies. According to guitarist/pianist Bryce Dessner, it was the first time in the band’s tenure that everything felt like the end. After a necessary break, the five approach everything from different angles and thanks to this begins a new era. The first tasting mentioned was partly made in Hamburg and reflects today’s stereotype – a person wakes up, grabs his cell phone and scrolls through news from the world. “When Matt found the song in the middle of his depression, it was like a turning point for us,” said guitarist Aaron Dessner, adding: “It’s a bit Dylanesque lyrically and really fun to play with; everything just seems to come to life.”

The album “First Two Pages Of Frankenstein” will offer the following songs: Once Upon a Poolside (feat. Sufjan Stevens), Eucalyptus, New Order T-Shirt, This Isn’t Helping (feat. Phoebe Bridgers), Tropic Morning News, Alien, The Alcott (feat. Taylor Swift), Grease in Your Hair, Ice Machines, Your Mind Is Not Your Friend (feat. Phoebe Bridgers), Send for Me.