First Two Pages of Frankenstein by The National

First Two Pages of Frankenstein is the ninth studio album by the American indie rock band the National, and was released on April 28, 2023, by 4AD. The album was produced by The National at Long Pond studio in upstate New York and features guest appearances from Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers, and Taylor Swift. After the release of I Am Easy to Find (2019) and the cancellation of The National's touring as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the band members retreated from each other. Lead singer and lyricist Matt Berninger released the solo record Serpentine Prison. Bryce Dessner, now living in France, worked on film scores and classical compositions. Aaron Dessner produced two albums by Taylor Swift and recorded the highly collaborative How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?, the second studio album with Bon Iver's Justin Vernon as part of their side-project Big Red Machine. Bryan and Scott Devendorf assisted other musicians with making their music. Work on a ninth National album was initially stalled while Berninger navigated "a very dark spot where I couldn't come up with lyrics or melodies at all. Even though we'd always been anxious whenever we were working on a record, this was the first time it ever felt like maybe things really had come to an end." Bryce Dessner said that the band eventually "managed to come back together and approach everything from a different angle, and because of that we arrived at what feels like a new era for the band." According to Aaron Dessner, a turning point came with the lead single "Tropic Morning News", which was co-written with Berninger's wife, Carin Besser, and partly recorded live in Hamburg: "When Matt came in with that song in the depths of his depression, it felt like a turning point for us. It's almost Dylan-esque in its lyrics and it's so much fun to play; everything suddenly felt like it was coming alive again." The album was produced by the National at Aaron Dessner's Long Pond studio in Hudson Valley, New York. It features guest vocalists Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor Swift. ℗ 2023 The National under exclusive license to 4AD Ltd