The National’s Matt Berninger shares contemplative solo album opener ‘Inland Ocean’

The National’s Matt Berninger has shared the contemplative ‘Inland Ocean’, from his upcoming solo album ‘Get Sunk’ – listen below.

• READ MORE: The National’s Matt Berninger: “It was sobering to realise how fragile I was”

The album is due to be released on May 30 via Book/Concord and is the second solo record from the singer, following on from his 2020 debut ‘Serpentine Prison’. Visit here to pre-order it.

So far, he has released the singles ‘Bonnet Of Pins’ and ‘Breaking Into Action’, the latter featuring Hand Habits, and now he has given fans another taster with the album opener ‘Inland Ocean’.

The song features backing vocals from Julia Laws, aka Ronboy, and was co-written by Walter Martin of The Walkmen. The introspective track sees Berninger musing: “God loves the inland ocean / Lost cause, I have no emotion”. Listen here:

‘Get Sunk’ will feature a combination of rich sonic landscapes and poignant lyrics, as well as a close look at the intricate complexities of human experience, per a press release. Alongside Laws and Hand Habits’ Meg Duffy, it includes contributions from Kyle Resnick (The National, Beirut), Garret Lang, Booker T Jones and more.

Speaking about going solo back in 2020, Berninger told NME: “Most of my songs are love songs to myself or that champion me. They’re cheerleading songs for my own soul. I’m writing things that I suspect Carin would like to say to me. You know, ‘I hope my daughter understands me’, ‘My mother will know this is about her’. They’re not just about me; they’re about the people that made me… me.”

Then, in September 2023, NME spoke to Berninger again, this time about his writing process and its interaction with his mental health. “I don’t believe in ghosts,” he said, “but I believe in the power of the belief in ghosts. It’s the same thing with God. I don’t really believe in it, but I believe in its power.”

As well as the new solo album, Berninger has set his sights on new music from The National, and told NME about the hopes of a new “punk rock inspired album” from the band.

“The guys send me rock songs all the time, but I can’t fake that. People can hear a fake rock song because it just sounds so pathetic and effortful. I’ve got to actually be in the zone and feeling it,” he told us.

He also shed light on the status of the long-mooted sitcom he’s been working on with his brother Tom, titled Das Apes. “Das Apes is alive, and that’s all I can say,” he told NME in 2023. “There was nothing happening because of the writers strikes and stuff like that, but we’ll see. I’m not going to drown in projects like I was before, but that it is one of them that I really want to do and it might happen.”

In other news, Berninger will play a string of intimate solo shows in the UK, Europe and North America later this year. Head here to see a list of dates, and find any remaining tickets here.

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