Long-running New York City art-rock quintet The National has big plans in small places for 2023. Though the band can easily pack the house in vast amphitheater settings like The Mann Center, this summer, their Philly stop comes to (for them) a much more intimate setting: The Met, where they’ll headline on Tuesday, August 1st. Opening the show are buzzing New Zealand indie-punk outfit The Beths, and tickets go on sale next Friday, January 27th.
The band also announced its ninth studio album today: First Two Pages of Frankenstein comes out April 28th via 4AD, and will reportedly feature guest appearances from Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers, and Sufjan Stevens. The album’s first single, “Tropic Morning News,” is out today; a co-write with frontperson Matt Berninger’s wife Carin Besser, the song is about, simply put, doomscrolling. “The idea of referring to the darkness of the news in such a light way unlocked something in me,” says Berninger in a press release. “It became a song about having a hard time expressing yourself, and trying to connect with someone when the noise of the world is drowning out any potential for conversation.”
Listen to “Tropic Morning News” below, and pre-order First Two Pages of Frankenstein here. More information on The National’s August 1st show at The Met Philly can be find at WXPN’s Concerts and Events page.