The National returns with "Weird Goodbyes," featuring Bon Iver, but still no word on whether an album is just beyond the horizon.
The single not only features the vocals of the indie folk band but boasts strong contributions from the London Contemporary Orchestra, orchestrated by Bryce Dessner.
The Creation
The National's singer Matt Berninger shared that the single is about legging go of the past, moving on, and having doubts and second thoughts.
"'Weird Goodbyes' was one of the first new songs we made," said Aaron Dessner. "I was misusing drum machines, as usual, and stumbled onto this beat that got stuck in my head."
"We built the song around the beat. Matt's melody and words felt so elegant and moving from the beginning-mourning a loss of innocence and motivation, holding onto memories and feelings that inevitably slip away, and the grief we all suffer in weird goodbyes."
This is reflected in the song's lyrics, as it opens with: "Memorize the bathwater, memorize the air / There'll come a time I'll wanna know I was here," and includes a particularly sad line: "The grief it gets me, the weird goodbyes."
According to Spin, Dessner shared that he "somehow could hear" Justin Vernon of Bon Iver singing the track. When he tapped Vernon for the track, the latter was moved by the song.
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New Album Soon?
Fans are excited and expecting more new music from The National, especially since the release of "Weird Goodbyes." Dessner explained how the single is monumental, "I hear the old engine of the National, and I hear also new places we're going."
When asked whether fans should anticipate The National's next album, Desser revealed in an interview with Apple Music that it is "very close" to completion.
Dessner explained that the music-making process takes time because they "have to be really inspired" and added that "it's a slow, long process."
Powerful Pairing
The two previously collaborated on various projects, including Dessner and Vernon's side band Big Red Machine. They have also been seen working with Taylor Swift on her "Evermore" album, released in 2021.
The National is an indie, alternative rock, and folk band formed in Brooklyn, New York, which comprises Matt Berninger, Aaron and Bryce Dessner, Bryan, and Scott Davendorf.
They have released eight albums as of this writing, including "Sleep Well Best" (2017), which won a Grammy Award, and "I Am Easy To Find," their most recent album.
Bon Iver rose to prominence with their album "Bon Iver," which won Best Alternative Music Album at the Grammy Awards in 2012. Their 2019 album "I, I" was nominated for Album of The Year at the Grammy Awards in 2020.
The band comprises Justin Vernon, Sean Carey, Matthew McCaughan, Andrew Fitzpatrick, and Michael Lewis.
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