The surprise companion to The National's April release 'First Two Pages of Frankenstein', 'Laugh Track' is the band's most freewheeling, all-hands-on-deck album in years. If 'Frankenstein' represented a rebuilding of trust between group members after 20+ years together, the vibrant, exploratory 'Laugh Track' is both the product of that faith and a new statement of intent. Reveling in the license to radically upend its creative process, The National honed most of this material in live performances on tour, and captured those invigorated versions in impromptu sessions at producer Tucker Martine's Portland studio. Two nights later in Vancouver, the nearly eight-minute album closer 'Smoke Detector' was recorded during soundcheck, completing a body of work bristling with spontaneity and vintage rock energy that makes a perfect complement to the songs found on its more introspective predecessor.
Track Listing:
1. Alphabet City - The National
2. Deep End (Paul's in Pieces) - The National
3. Weird Goodbyes (Feat. Bon Iver) - The National
4. Turn Off the House - The National
5. Dreaming - The National
6. Laugh Track (Feat. Phoebe Bridgers) - The National
7. Space Invader - The National
8. Hornets - The National
9. Coat On a Hook - The National
10. Tour Manager - The National
11. Crumble (Feat. Rosanne Cash) - The National
12. Smoke Detector - The National
Year of Production: 2023
