The National have released the official video for ‘Laugh Track’ feat. Phoebe Bridgers, the title track off their surprise new album. The video was directed and animated by Bernard Derriman, director of The Bob’s Burgers Movie, with 3D animation by Adam Phillips. The wry, simmering track was born of a drum idea from Justin Vernon (“the tempo felt like something off Dylan’s ‘Nashville Skyline’,” says the band’s Aaron Dessner) and what feels like a classic Matt Berninger-ian lyrical turn. “Turn on the laugh track / We’ll see if it changes the scene,” he sings, a last-ditch attempt at salvation as he and his dance partner sway amid the fast wreckage of what was once assured. “Maybe this is just the funniest version of us that we’ve ever seen.”
It’s the National’s third collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers this year. “Her voice is the soft edge of the song,” says Berninger. “It takes some of the snarky, sarcastic bitterness out of it and makes it sweet and gentle.”
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The group stunned fans in September with the surprise digital release of Laugh Track and the album will becomes available on vinyl this Friday, 17th November. The 12-song record is a companion to and features material originally started in the same sessions as First Two Pages of Frankenstein, which was released by 4AD in April. Laugh Track features guest appearances by Phoebe Bridgers and Rosanne Cash, as well as the Bon Iver collaboration ‘Weird Goodbyes’,which was released as a standalone track in August 2022.
The National are back from a European tour which saw them play to 20,000 fans in London where they were called, “An era-defining band at the peak of their powers,” by The Guardian. They’ve announced more European and UK dates for June, July and August of 2024. All tickets will be on sale this Friday, 17th November at 10am local time.
The band has just kicked off their final US tour dates for 2023, playing Albuquerque tonight and giving their final show of the calendar year in Irving, TX outside of Dallas on 19th November. Tickets are on sale now. See tour dates below and visit www.americanmary.com for more information.
2023
November
10th – Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, San Francisco CA, US %
11th – Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre, San Diego CA, US %
13th – Arizona Financial Theatre, Phoenix AZ, US %
14th – Kiva Auditorium, Albuquerque NM, US %
16th – Tulsa Theater, Tulsa OK, US %
17th – Moody Center, Austin TX, US %
18th – Lawn at White Oak, Houston TX, US %
19th – The Pavillion at Toyota Music Factory, Irving TX, US %
2024
February
24th – Spark Arena, Auckland, New Zealand
25th – Tsb Arena, Wellington, New Zealand
28th – Riverstage, Brisbane, Australia ~
March
1st – Aware Super Theatre, Sydney, Australia ~’
2nd – Aware Super Theatre, Melbourne, Australia ~’
5th – Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne, Australia ~’
6th – Sidney Myer Music Bowl ~’
9th – Kings Park & Botanic Garden, Perth, Australia ~’
June
2nd – Carroponte, Milan, Italty
3rd – Cavea of the Auditorium Parco della Musica, Rome, Italy
5th – Zanith de Paris, Paris, France #
21st – Hurricane Festival, Scheeßel, Germany
22nd – Southside Festival, Neuhausen ob Eck, Germany
24th – INmusic Festival, Zegreb, Croatia
25th – Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria ^
27th – Kunst!Rasen, Bonn, Germany ^
28th – Live Is Live – Middenvijver, Antwerp, Belgium
July
2nd – Eden Sessions, Cornwall, UK #
3rd – Cardiff Castle, Cardiff, UK +
4th – Sounds of the City, Castlefield Bowl, Manchester, UK #
5th – Crystal Palace Park, London, UK #+!
11th – Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, UK ^
August
6th – Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark
Support:
% Hand Habits
~ Very Special Guests Fleet Foxes
` Annie Hamilton
# This Is The Kit
+ Unknown Mortal Orchestra
! Kevin Morby
^ Bess Atwell