The National recently announced a Valentine's Day-oriented covers contest in which fans can submit their own version of "I Need My Girl" in hopes of winning a $500 prize. In honor of that endeavor, they have now released a cover of their own with a version of Perfume Genius' (Mike Hadreas) song "Learning."
The band has released "I Need My Girl" from last year's Trouble Will Find Me as a digital single with the Perfume Genius cover on the B-side.
The National has a ton going on right now, as they recently announced a huge international tour to support their album and also have their documentary Mistaken by Strangers set for release in the spring. The film will premiere March 25 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, also featuring a live performance.
Last year Matt Berninger explained to Pitchfork what it was like making Trouble Will Find Me.
"In the past, it's been hard to enjoy writing-- like getting drops of blood from your forehead-- but I loved the process for this record," he said. "I think a lot of it was because I wasn't worried-- I didn't care what the songs were going to be about, or if they were going to seem depressing, or cool, or whatever."
Listen to The National's cover of Perfume Genius' song "Learning" below.
