THE NATIONAL "Laugh Track" feat. Phoebe Bridgers. (Watch the video)

New video for The National who publish the clip of the song that gives the album its title on Youtube Laugh Track feat. Phoebe Bridgers.

The video is directed and animated by Bernard Derriman, director of The Bob’s Burgers Movie, with 3D animation by Adam Phillips. The song, delicate and ironic, was born from an idea by Justin Vernon for the drums (“the tempo sounded like that of Dylan’s Nashville Skyline”, says Aaron Dessner) and from a text in classic Matt Berninger style. He sings “Turn on the laugh track / We’ll see if it changes the scene,” a final attempt at salvation as he and his dance partner sway through the wreckage of what was once taken for granted. “Maybe this is just the funniest version of us that we’ve ever seen.”

This is The National’s third collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers in a year. “Her voice is the soft touch of the song,” says Berninger. “She takes away some of the sarcastic bitterness and makes it sweet and delicate.”

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In September the group surprised fans by surprise-releasing the digital version of “Laugh Track” (read the review), from Friday 17 November the album will also be available on CD and vinyl. Through the 12 songs that compose it, Laugh Track offers new material born during the sessions of the companion First Two Pages of Frankenstein, published by 4AD in April. Laugh Track features Phoebe Bridgers and Rosanne Cash, as well as a collaboration with Bon Iver on “Weird Goodbyes,” released as a standalone track in August 2022.