Ask any fan, and they’ll tell you: The National is having quite the moment.
The Cincinnati-based quintet returned in 2023 from a three-year hiatus with not one, but two new albums. With 10 albums under their belt, The National has cemented themselves as staples of today’s indie-rock scene.
Following a tour through Australia, Europe and New Zealand earlier this year, The National are on the road this fall for a 19-date co-headlining tour alongside The War On Drugs and special guest Lucius, including a stop at Breese Stevens Field on Sept. 26.
“Since we’ve been around for a while we have all these records. It seems every time I turn around there’s a 15th anniversary of one or the 20th of another,” bassist Scott Devendorf says.
This year marks a different anniversary — 25 years since The National formed, and the band find themselves at a watershed moment in their career, a period of creative highs and ever-growing popularity. Last year’s First Two Pages of Frankenstein and Laugh Track featured 23 new songs across the two albums. Unlike their previous releases, the companion albums feature a slew of guest appearances — including Bon Iver, Rosanne Cash, Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor Swift — that have attracted new fans to their discography and live shows.
The road to this prolific period took time. Formed in 1999, The National consists of brother duos Scott (bass) and Bryan (drums) Devendorf and Aaron (guitar, piano) and Bryce Dessner, along with vocalist Matt Berninger. Although there were prior collaborations by some members in Cincinnati, it wasn’t until the five all relocated to New York City that they started playing together. “When we started, it was more or less something to do after work,” Devendorf says. “Eventually we thought it was a good idea to start touring, before our time really…it was great, but very different than today.”
While The National garnered critical acclaim within New York City’s indie-rock scene in their early years, their three-album run of Boxer (2007), High Violet (2010), and Trouble Will Find Me (2013) drew new fans and eventually led to a mainstream audience.
The members of The National have embraced their reputation for their brand of “sad dad rock” — a tongue-in-cheek label that pokes fun at their well-read, middle-aged male demographic, and the quintet’s ability to articulate the angst and melancholia of middle age. You can point to fan favorites like “Bloodbuzz Ohio” and “Mr. November” as fitting examples for the label, with their propulsive rhythm section, evocative lyricism, and frontman Berninger’s signature baritone voice.
A quarter-century in, the songwriting process is a collaborative effort. “Ultimately, when we’re songwriting we’re gravitating to something that is meaningful to us, either something Matt’s written in the lyrics or the mood of the music,” says Devendorf. “We’re always trying to have some sort of emotional resonance for us.”
And while the members pursued side projects during the band’s three years on hiatus, they brought new ideas — and fellow artists — to the table when it came time to work on Frankenstein and Laugh Track. “Everyone’s constantly generating stuff, and some of it’s terrible, but some of it’s awesome too,” Devendorf says. “So you just gotta keep working, too.”
Devendorf believes that mindset pours into their live shows — perhaps unintentionally.
“Even if it’s playing old songs we haven’t played in a while, we try to avoid falling into patterns to keep ourselves on our toes,” Devendorf says.
Fans can expect deep cuts from early albums and newer material when The National hits the stage at Breese Stevens. At the height of their influence, the members of The National are enjoying their moment and the journey to get there.
“We haven’t made a big deal about the 25th externally,” Devendorf says. “We just keep going. We do acknowledge that it’s a milestone, but we’re just happy that we’re still around.”
