Lead singer of The National Matt Berninger has released a new single from his upcoming debut solo album Serpentine Prison, which is due out on 2 October 2020 through Book Records and Concord Records.

Titled Distant Axis, and with a video shot by Matt’s brother Tom Berninger, it is the second single released from the album after title track Serpentine Prison, which was written in December 2018 and released back in May of this year.

The brothers are also collaborating on a new TV show and a sequel to the 2013 documentary film Mistaken For Strangers, which charted life on the road with The National in 2010. Distant Axis is a gentle, atmospheric track, with Berninger’s distinctive vocals backed by a simple acoustic guitar and piano, and isn’t a dramatic departure from The National’s established sound.

As such it will appeal to existing fans of the band. Writing on his Facebook page, Berninger said: “I wrote this song with Walter Martin [of The Walkmen], but it was so beautiful already when he sent it to me that all I really had to do was sing along. Then Booker T Jones and our group of amazing musicians took it interstellar.”

Berninger and Martin have been friends for more than a decade after the two met when The National supported The Walkmen on tour in the USA. The song Distant Axis developed from a demo Martin sent to Berninger.

The new album, which Berninger confirmed the name of in an Instagram post back in October 2019, features contributions from his bandmates Andrew Bird, Mike Brewer, Hayden Desser, Scott Devendorf, as well as a host of other musicians and songwriters, and is produced by Booker T Jones.

Watch the official video for Distant Axis below

Author: Joe Sharratt

Joe Sharratt is a writer and journalist based in the UK covering music, literature, sport, and travel.