The National's Matt Berninger announces debut solo album 'Serpentine Prison'

Having already spread his solo wings over the last couple of years, The National frontman Matt Berninger has now announced his plans for his first studio album, arriving later in the year.

The new full-length 'Serpentine Prison' was produced by renowned Memphis multi-instrumentalist Booker T. Jones (of Booker T. & The MG’s fame), is being previewed by the record's title-track, and is expected to be released on the 2nd October via his new imprint with Jones, Book Records, in conjunction with Concord Records.

Speaking about his new offering, he said, “The song ‘Serpentine Prison’ was written in December 2018, about a week after recording The National’s 'I Am Easy to Find'. For a long time, I had been writing songs for movies and musicals and other projects where I needed to get inside someone else’s head and convey another person’s feelings. I liked doing that, but I was ready to dig back into my own garbage and this was the first thing that came out.”

“The title is from a twisting sewer pipe that drains into the ocean near LAX. There’s a cage on the pipe to keep people from climbing out to sea. I worked on the song with Sean O’Brien and Harrison Whitford and recorded it about six months later with Booker T. Jones producing. It feels like an epilogue, so I named the record after it and put it last.”

The album also features contributions from a wide array of notable artists, including Matt Barrick (The Walkmen, Jonathan Fire*Eater), Andrew Bird, Mike Brewer, Hayden Desser, Scott Devendorf (The National), Gail Ann Dorsey (David Bowie, Lenny Kravitz), Booker T. Jones, Teddy Jones, Brent Knopf (EL VY, Menomena), Ben Lanz(The National, Beirut), Walter Martin (The Walkmen, Jonathan Fire*Eater), Sean O'Brien, Mickey Raphael (Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan), Kyle Resnick (The National, Beirut), Matt Sheehy (EL VY, Lost Lander) and Harrison Whitford (Phoebe Bridgers). Additional production on the album was provided by Sean O’Brien.

Have a listen to the single 'Serpentine Prison' in the player below.

More News

Abby Sage shares new single 'Soak'

With her eagerly-awaited debut album landing early next month, Abby Sage has now dropped the next cut to be lifted from her forthcoming full-length... 1 month 1 week ago

Lauran Hibberd unveils new single '2nd prettiest girl (in the world)'

With her eagerly-awaited new album set to land next month, Lauran Hibberd has now dropped the next cut to be lifted from her forthcoming full-length... 1 month 1 week ago

Wallows return with new single 'Your Apartment'

Following on from the release of their highly-praised studio album 'Tell Me That It’s Over', Wallows have now returned to share a brand new single... 1 month 1 week ago

English Teacher deliver new single 'R&B'

With their eagerly-awaited debut album set to arrive in the coming months, English Teacher have now dropped the next cut to be lifted from their... 1 month 1 week ago

Head Sound deliver new single 'Like A Painting'

Following on from the release of their much-loved 'Demos' EP back in 2022, New York-based outfit Head Sound have now made their eagerly-awaited... 1 month 1 week ago

Kim Gordon unveils new single 'I'm A Man'

With her eagerly-awaited new album now less than a month away, Kim Gordon has dropped the next cut to be lifted from her forthcoming full-length.... 1 month 1 week ago

Holly Humberstone announces new EP 'Work In Progress'

Following on from her incredibly well-received debut album 'Paint My Bedroom Black' last year, Holly Humberstone has now announced her plans for a... 1 month 1 week ago

Georgia returns with new single 'Too Much Too Little'

After the rousing response to her much-loved studio album 'Euphoric' last year, Georgia has now returned once again to deliver a brand new single... 1 month 1 week ago

Pearl Jam announce new album 'Dark Matter'

After returning with their long-awaited comeback LP 'Gigaton' in 2022, Pearl Jam are now back once again to announce the details of their new studio... 1 month 2 weeks ago