Indie rocker troupe The National has more than a swift story
It's not exactly a proverbial 800-pound gorilla for The National. But the critically lauded indie rock group from Cincinnati, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, still seems an unlikely candidate to be a part of the Taylor Swift universe.
And yet the quintet is, thanks to twin brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner, who wrote, produced and played on Swift's last five albums, including the "Taylor's Versions" re-records of "Fearless" and "Red." The whole band played on the song "Coney Island" from Swift's 2020 album "Evermore," while Swift showed up for "The Alcott" on "First Two Pages of Frankenstein," one of two albums the National released during 2023 — helping the single become the group's highest-charting and only Top 20 single to date.
"Obviously more people hear about the band because of that connection, and the songs with her," bassist Scott Devendorf says by phone from a recent tour stop outside Boston. "Our most popular streaming songs are the ones she's on; that's how the world works. It has brought a new audience of younger people interested in the band, which is cool for us to see.
"And we see, like, father-daughter, mother-daughter groups at our shows. That's increased over the years, and I think doing a song with Taylor definitely has helped that."
And while that might provide a gateway for new Swiftie ears, Devendorf and his bandmates — younger brother Bryan on drums, the Dessners and frontman Matt Berninger — have a lot more to show them.
The group, which blends its members' classical training with arty rock 'n' roll sensibilities, has released 10 studio albums and a pair of EPs since 2001. "Sleep Well Beast" won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album in 2017, and the group has contributed songs to soundtracks for "Game of Thrones," "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," "Warrior," "Win Win" and "Cyrano," as well as to tributes to the Clash and the Miracle Legion's Mark Mulcahy.
Before its 2023 output, however, the National had reached a bit of a crisis point. The Dessners and chief lyricist Berninger acknowledged being plagued by writer's block during the pandemic, which didn't break until just before the band returned to live performances during the spring of 2022.
"At the beginning of '21, '22, we were in the middle of the pandemic. We still couldn't tour, couldn't really get together on top of everything else," notes Devendorf, 41. "It was a very depressing time for everyone. When we got back to working together, things got better."
The National certainly became more prolific. "First Two Chapters of Frankenstein" featured 11 new tracks, including two collaborations with Phoebe Bridgers, and there were enough songs from the sessions to yield the surprise-released "Laugh Track," a 12-song set with guest appearances by Bridgers, Rosanne Cash and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. The latter was also a markedly different creative process for the National, according to Devendorf.
"We were recording songs on the road, recording at sound checks, using mobile studios and studios we actually went to while we were touring," he recalls. "I think it helped. I think we recognized that when we're in the studio, we tend to be very claustrophobic, sometimes; so having some levity and light and live playing versus trying to do everything separately and being so precise.
"That really helped us on 'Laugh Trick,' and I think will help us moving forward, too. It's made us more ... open, I guess."
The impact of that will be seen down the road, of course. Right now, the National is focused on touring into October, though it's not making a big deal out of the band's 25th anniversary. "I guess it's a milestone," the bassist notes, "but we're just going, 'Oh yeah, it is." Nor is the band making specific plans for the future.
"We're always working on stuff in the background, sending each other tracks and stuff to think about," Devendorf says. "It takes us a long time to sift through stuff and figure out what we're doing. The game plan is probably take a break for the rest of the year, then regroup in the winter and start messing around, hopefully.
"We'll probably be off the radar for 2025, but we'll be working together, I'm sure. We're thinking about the next, maybe not 25, but at least five years of working together and doing this. That's exciting."
The National, the War on Drugs and Lucius perform at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25 at the Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre, 14900 Metro Parkway, Sterling Heights. 313-471-7000 or 313Presents.com.
