Considering the depths of his pandemic-era depression and crippling writer’s block, the National‘s Matt Berninger is somewhat incredulous at all the magic he and his bandmates managed to conjure in 2023. The Cincinnati-reared quintet released two albums (First Two Pages of Frankenstein and Laugh Track) five months apart, sold out their first headlining show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden and welcomed the likes of Patti Smith and Pavement to their hometown Homecoming festival in September.
All of this took place against the backdrop of group member Aaron Dessner‘s increasingly high-profile writing and production work with Taylor Swift, who returned the favor by duetting with Berninger on the
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