Review – “Laugh Track” by The National
Surprising fans with a second new record in the fall of 2023, and announced just days before its release, The National’s “Laugh Track” is an excellent companion to "First Two Pages of Frankenstein."
“Not being in love with you, it isn’t easy to fake,
When I don’t know if you’re ever gonna come back from your cigarette break…”
About halfway through 2023, The National did something strange that I, honestly, didn’t think much of at the time – they released two brand new singles only months after the release of their, at the time, newest album, “First Two Pages of Frankenstein.” These songs, “Alphabet City” and “Space Invader,” didn’t belong to that record and were entirely new songs. When they released these songs, I listened to them, and moved along forgetting that they ever dropped. One month later, the band announced out of the blue that they had another record on the way titled “Laugh Track” – a companion to the earlier year’s release – and that it would be released only a few days later. Those two tracks served as two of the singles from it.
When this all happened, I couldn’t help but wonder if guitarist Aaron Dessner had encouraged the band to take a page out of Taylor Swift’s book with a surprise companion album considering Dessner himself produced Swift’s surprise companion albums “folklore” and “evermore” in 2020. Is that possible? Sure, I suppose it could be, but it’s likely more just a coincidence than anything. That being said, I mention Swift deliberately because “Laugh Track” continues where “First Two Pages” left off: with more collaborations – this time with Bon Iver, Rosanne Cash, and yet another appearance from Phoebe Bridgers.
“Laugh Track” is an excellent companion to “First Two Pages,” but is a little less consistent at holding the attention of the listener. It contains some new favorite tracks from the band for me, but also has some forgettable tracks I have a hard time recalling post-listen. Additionally, the closer tracks lose steam ever so slightly and I’m not in love with them. That’s not to say that “Laugh Track” is a bad album by any means, but you can tell that it’s the remainder of what was written from the “First Two Pages” sessions and what didn’t make the first cut (for example, “Turn Off the House” and “Tour Manager” which I genuinely am struggling to remember the melodies of as I write this). Even with those lows, however, the album stands firm and with some particularly poignant moments.
My highlights off this album, to be specific, are two tracks in particular: “Deep End (Paul’s in Pieces)” and “Laugh Track.” The prior sounds like a cut that was forgotten from the “Trouble Will Find Me” recording session ten years ago and was my immediate favorite. It is traditionally “The National” from pretty much every angle and a high point laid near the opening of the album. The other highlight for me – the title track – is currently in the running for my top songs of 2023. It showcases beautiful harmonies between Matt Berninger and Phoebe Bridgers, but the melody is atypical and grabs your attention, wondering where it will lead. It’s haunting and heartbreaking; a song about trying to reframe the pains of love and loss in your mind to make them easier to cope with. The music video for the song complements it perfectly and I can’t listen to it without the imagery it envisions and assigns to the song:
To summarize, “Laugh Track” is a solid companion to “First Two Pages of Frankenstein” albeit weaker in comparison. Both albums served as a welcome return from the band and were highlights of 2023 in music for me, flaws and all.
Overall Rating: 7.5/10
Top Tracks:
– Deep End (Paul’s in Pieces)
– Laugh Track
– Hornets