The National won its first Grammy Award on Sunday, Jan. 28, but the band was not able to attend the ceremony. Matt Berninger, Aaron Dessner, Scott Devendorf, and more are busy working on their upcoming album.

Dessner did not share details about the group's upcoming project, but Sleep Well Beast was just released last year. The album features a total of 12 songs, namely, "Nobody Else Will Be There," "Day I Die," "Walk It Back," "Born to Beg," "Guilty Party," and more.

The guitarist also said that he and his bandmates did not expect to win the Best Alternative Album award for their latest project. The group was up against Arcade Fire for its Everything Now album, Gorillaz for its Humanz album, and more.

Dessner opened up about the band's recent recognition and said that he was in the shower when he found out that they got the award. The guitarist is grateful for the award because Sleep Well Beast is very personal to all of them. He also said that the songs in the album are very different from all their previous records.

"It's not the one I would have thought would have won a Grammy, but maybe in some way we're being rewarded for the work that's been done over the years and getting recognition for that. I don't think it means that Sleep Well Beast is necessarily better than some other records we made, it's just kind of like, maybe this is our time or something," said Dessner.

Aaron Dessner Talks 2018 Grammy Awards Backlash

During the same interview, Dessner also opened up about the recent Grammy Awards backlash. After the ceremony, Robin Pecknold and Justin Vernon slammed this year's winners, particularly Bruno Mars. The 32-year-old singer won in almost all of the categories he was nominated in.

Dessner said that he understands where Pecknold and Vernon were coming from, but he also said that it is difficult to speculate on things. In the past, The National was nominated for Trouble Will Find Me, but it was the Vampire Weekend that won.

The guitarist said that he and his bandmates were not bitter over their loss because they felt that the Vampire Weekend deserved its win. Dessner also said that even just being nominated already made them happy.

The National is an American alternative rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in 1999. The group's other albums include A Lot of Sorrow, High Violet, Alligator, Cherry Tree, and more.

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