The National unveil moving new song “Light Years”: Stream
The National will release their new album, I Am Easy to Find, on May 17th via 4AD. The record promises to be “unlike anything” in the band’s catalog while remaining “totally in line with how they’ve created for much of their careers.” Lead single “You Had Your Soul with You” demonstrated this with its rich, skittering compositions and female-led bridge. Now, we’ve been gifted another sample of the LP with “Light Years”.
The new track certainly aligns with some of the more beautifully somber moments of The National’s past efforts, though again the featured female vocalist adds a new texture to the proceedings. “Light Years” works almost entirely off a reiterating piano line as Matt Berninger and his supporting singer coo, “Oh, the glory of it all was lost on me/ Till I saw how hard it’d be to reach you/ And I would always be light years/ Light years away from you.”
Check out the track via its video below, which features footage from the album’s corresponding film, I Am Easy to Find from director Mike Mills (20th Century Women) and starring Alicia Vikander.
Pre-orders for the Sleep Well Beast follow-up are ongoing; you can pick up more National vinyl here.
In addition to the new track, The National have revealed a few more details regarding their upcoming “An Evening with The National” tour dates. The intimate gigs in Paris, London, New York, Toronto, and Los Angeles will begin with a screening of Mills’ film, followed by a Q&A with the band, the director, and others. Afterwards, The National will take the stage for an intimate performance with guests including Kate Stables of This Is the Kit, Mina Tindle, Yuki Numata Resnick, and James McAlister, as well as Gail Ann Dorsey in Paris and Brooklyn Youth Chorus in NYC.
After those shows, they’ll head out on a full tour with support coming from Courtney Barnett and Alvvays. You can get tickets to all of The National’s upcoming dates here.
The National 2019 Tour Dates:
04/16 – Paris, FR @ Olympia
04/18 – London, UK @ Royal Festival Hall
04/22 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
04/24 – Toronto, ON @ Roy Thomson Hall
04/26 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Orpheum Theater
06/11 – Philadelphia, PA @ Mann Center *
06/12 – Brooklyn, NY @ Prospect Park Bandshell *
06/15 – Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo Music Festival
06/16 – Atlanta, GA @ Coca-Cola Roxy *
06/17 – St Augustine, FL @ St Augustine Amphitheatre *
06/19 – Washington, DC @ The Anthem *
06/20 – Portland, ME @ Thompson’s Point *
06/21 – Montreal, QC @ Place des Arts
06/22 – Hamilton, ON @ Pier 8 ^
06/24 – Columbus, OH @ Express Live *
06/25 – Ann Arbor, MI @ Hill Auditorium *
06/26 – Indianapolis, IN @ Lawn at White River *
06/28 – Chicago, IL @ Northerly Island ^
07/10 – Manchester, UK @ Castlefield Bowl
07/12 – Madrid, ES @ Mad Cool Festival
07/13 – London, UK @ British Summer Time
07/15 – Frankfurt, DE @ Jahrhunderthalle
07/16 – Hamburg, DE @ Stadtpark
07/18 – Rättvik, SE @ Dalhalla
08/04 – Waterford, IE @ All Together Now Festival
08/06 – Glasgow, UK @ Kelvingrove Park
08/07 – Glasgow, UK @ Kelvingrove Park
08/09 – Sicily, IT @ Ypsigrock
08/10 – Budapest, HU @ Sziget Festival
08/11 – Buftea, RO @ Summer Well Fest
08/14 – Paredes de Coura, PT @ Paredes de Coura
08/16-18 – Hasselt, BE @ Pukkelpop
08/17 – Biddinghuizen, NL @ Lowlands
08/28 – Vancouver, BC @ Deer Lake Park ^
08/29 – Seattle, WA @ Marymoor Park ^
08/30 – Portland, OR @ Edgefield ^
09/01 – Stanford, CA @ Frost Amphitheater ^
09/02 – Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre ^
09/03 – Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theatre ^
09/05 – Odgen, UT @ Ogden Amphitheater ^
09/08 – Santa Fe, NM @ Santa Fe Opera House ^
09/10 – Austin, TX @ 360 Amphitheatre ^
09/11 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall ^
11/25 – Warsaw, PL @ Torwar Hall
11/26 – Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle
11/27 – Berlin, DE @ Columbiahalle
11/29 – Copenhagen, DK @ Royal Arena
12/01 – Bochum, DE @ Ruhrcongress
12/02 – Cologne, DE @ Palladium
12/03 – Zurich, SW @ Samsung Hall
12/04 – Munich, DE @ Zenith
12/05 – Stuttgart, DE @ Porsche Arena
* = w/ Courtney Barnett
^ = w/ Alvvays
