The National share new single ‘New Order T-Shirt’
America’s kings of doom and gloom are back. The National have returned to share the latest preview of their upcoming ninth studio album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein. Last month, the indie veterans released the lead single, ‘Tropic Morning News’, and now, ‘New Order T-Shirt’ has arrived.
Featuring a typical murmur from frontman Matt Berninger, ‘New Order T-Shirt’ features an otherwise divergent musical composition compared to the band’s typical guitar-centric approach. Instead, the drums are (at least partially) electronic and the buzzes of synthesisers are present without being overpowering.
The only real guitar you can hear is an acoustic lightly jangling around in the background, with soundscapes and sequencers creating a melancholic kind of atmosphere that reminds me of some of the band’s best deep cuts. As Berninger paints a vivid picture featuring surreal conversations with aquarium fish, ‘New Order T-Shirt’ expertly toes the line between highly personal subject matter and universal feelings of confusion.
“To me the line ‘I keep what I can of you’ means something about everyone I’ve ever known or loved,” guitarist Aaron Dessner says in a statement. “There’s a simplicity to ‘New Order T-Shirt’ that reminds me of our earlier records, but with the full maturity and experience we have now. It feels like a really important song for the future of our band.”
By the way, that title does indeed refer to the legendary new wave pioneers New Order. In a bit of meta crossover, The National and New Order have teamed up to produce a pretty sweet new piece of merchandise: the titular New Order T-Shirt from the song. The new shirt is available to buy on The National’s website, with a portion of the proceeds going to a charity of New Order’s choice.
Those who have seen The National on their most recent tours will have already heard some of the songs that are set to be featured on First Two Pages of Frankenstein. Songs such as ‘Ice Machines’ and ‘Grease in Your Hair’ featured in the band’s 2022 live shows, but ‘New Order T-Shirt’ hasn’t been played live yet. “To me the power of this record has to do with the intentionality and structure of the music meeting with a lot of accidental magic,” Dessner adds.
Check out the visualiser for ‘New Order T-Shirt’ down below. First Two Pages of Frankenstein is set for an April 28th release.
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