Stream: The National, ‘You Had Your Soul With You’

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The National (Photo by Graham McIndoe)
The National (Photo by Graham McIndoe)

Long-running indie-rockers the National today announced that their eighth album, “I Am Easy to Find,” will be out May 17 via 4AD Records. Along with the news came the announcement of a Los Angeles tour date in September at the Greek Theatre, as well as a forthcoming 24-minute film (see trailer) by Mike Mills. The latter, which stars Alicia Vikander, is not a music video for the album, the director says, but they are “playfully hostile siblings that love to steal from each other.”

The album’s lead track “You Had Your Soul With you” will be a surprise for those who have followed the Cincinnati-bred bad since 2001. It features vocals from of longtime David Bowie bandmate Gail Ann Dorsey, one of several female singers to appear on the album. Others guests include Lisa Hannigan, Sharon Van Etten, Mina Tindle and Kate Stables, along with the Brooklyn Youth Choir.

“Yes, there are a lot of women singing on this, but it wasn’t because, ‘Oh, let’s have more women’s voices,’” frontman Matt Berninger says. “It was more, ‘Let’s have more of a fabric of people’s identities.’ It would have been better to have had other male singers, but my ego wouldn’t let that happen.”

||| Stream: “You Had Your Soul With You”

||| Live: The National play the Orpheum Theatre on April 26 (sold out). They also play the Greek Theatre, along with Alvvays, on Sept. 2. Tickets on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.