Matt Berninger of The National has released a new follow up single “Distant Axis” in anticipation of his solo album Serpentine Prison. The video was directed by his brother Tom Berninger and features Matt Berninger rolling around on the floor. He’s also rolling around with his dog. Sold? I’m not. Why not though? It appears the dog in the video is a poodle mix. Poodle type dogs are fucking gross.
Berninger explains about the track, which he wrote with The Walkmen’s Walter Martin, “I met Walter Martin fifteen years ago when The National opened for The Walkmen on a tour of shitty clubs in the American Southeast. On that tour I learned a lot about how to be in a band without ruining your life. I also learned a lot about Florida, Tennessee and Georgia. Walt and I have stayed friends and about three years ago we started passing ideas back and forth. ‘Distant Axis’ started from a sketch Walt sent me named ‘Savannah.’ I think it’s about falling out of touch with someone or something you once thought would be there forever.”
Serpentine Prison is due October 2. The album, produced by famed Memphis multi-instrumentalist Booker T. Jones, will be released via Book Records, a new imprint formed by Berninger and Jones in conjunction with Concord Records. The album features contributions from a wide array of notable artists, including Matt Barrick (The Walkmen, Jonathan Fire*Eater), Andrew Bird, Mike Brewer, Hayden Desser, Scott Devendorf (The National), Gail Ann Dorsey (David Bowie, Lenny Kravitz), Booker T. Jones, Teddy Jones, Brent Knopf (EL VY, Menomena), Ben Lanz (The National, Beirut), Walter Martin (The Walkmen, Jonathan Fire*Eater), Sean O’Brien, Mickey Raphael (Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan), Kyle Resnick (The National, Beirut), Matt Sheehy (EL VY, Lost Lander) and Harrison Whitford (Phoebe Bridgers). Additional production on the album was provided by Sean O’Brien.
