The National – “Somebody Desperate”

Graham MacIndoe

The National – “Somebody Desperate”

Graham MacIndoe

Bryce and Aaron Dessner, the extremely busy twin brothers from the National, did the soundtracks for a couple of new movies, including Cyrano, Joe Wright’s forthcoming musical adaptation of Cyrano De Bergerac. It looks like much of the Cyrano soundtrack is going to feature star Peter Dinklage singing the Dessners’ songs. They’ve already shared the soundtrack song “Someone To Say,” and they performed another one, “Your Name,” with Dinklage on Colbert earlier this week. But the Cyrano soundtrack also features at least one full-on song from the National, and that song is out now.

On those last two singles, we learned that Peter Dinklage doesn’t sound too different from National singer Matt Berninger. But it’s still different when the National gets back together at full strength. The new song “Somebody Desperate” is the first full-on National song since all the members of the band participated in “Coney Island,” the Taylor Swift collaboration from last year.

“Somebody Desperate” is a lush and regretful piano ballad, with Berninger leaning all the way into his soused, depressive elegance. It’s not exactly a rock song; there are a ton of strings and pianos swirling behind Berninger. But “Somebody Desperate” still finds a familiar note of doomed grandeur. It’s as pretty as you could want a new National song to be. Check it out below.

The Cyrano soundtrack is out 12/10 on Decca Records. The movie comes to select theaters 12/31.

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