The National have performed two songs off their new album ‘Laugh Track‘ on the opening episode of the latest season of Later… With Jools Holland over the weekend.
‘Laugh Track’, which was a surprise release shared by The National last month and followed their April album ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein‘, is the indie rockers’ 10th album. ‘Space Invader’ was released as a single with ‘Alphabet City’ in August, while ‘Deep End (Paul’s In Pieces)’ is currently an album track.
The band were joined by Jorja Smith, Say She She, Antony Szmierek and Wreckless Eric for the 63rd series premiere of the late night music show on BBC Two.
Watch clips of the performances below.
In other The National news, singer Matt Berninger has spoken to NME about the “different kind of spotlight” that has fallen on the band after working with Taylor Swift.
The band have collaborated with Swift on a number of occasions, featuring on her track ‘Coney Island’ from 2020’s ‘Evermore‘ before she provided vocals and lyrics for ‘The Alcott’ on their 2023 album ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein‘. Guitarist Aaron Dessner has also produced Swift’s last three albums and re-recorded records.
“The Taylor thing was super organic,” Berninger said in the In Conversation interview.
“We’ve known her for a long time and obviously Aaron has been doing so much amazing stuff with her. I wrote ‘The Alcott’ with my wife Carin [Besser] in mind, Aaron sent it to Taylor and she added her own perspective on it and wrote all her parts to it. It was a true duet where she heard that and inhabited the character that I was singing about – which is almost always Carin,” he said.
Berninger continued: “It’s not really a strategic game. Obviously Aaron’s work with Taylor Swift is going to bring a different kind of spotlight, but it’s been fun and cool. All of that has been a really healthy branching out.”