Artist
The National
The National is an alternative rock artist from Cincinnati, Ohio formed in 1999. 41 releases are catalogued on Riffiter.
Alternative Rock · Cincinnati, Ohio · Best alternative rock albums
- 4.0 /5
- 11 ratings
- 41
- Releases
- 2001–2026
- Active years
- 1999
- Formed
Discography
18
Most popular
Sleep Well Beast
2017 · 12 tracks
First Two Pages of Frankenstein
2023
Boxer
2007
High Violet
2010
Trouble Will Find Me
2013
I Am Easy to Find
2019
Alligator
2005
Laugh Track
2023
Boxer: Live in Brussels
2018
The National
2001
Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers
2003
Rome (Full Concert)
2025
Cherry Tree Vol. 1
2018
Unreleased: B-Sides & Rarities
2010
2005-04-29: Black Session
2005
Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers (2021 Remaster)
2003
2003-11-17: The Black Sessions
2003
The National (2021 Remaster)
2001
Singles & EPs
23
Abel
Single · 2005
Secret Meeting
Single · 2005
Never Tear Us Apart
Single · 2026
Rome
EP · 2024
Heaven
Single · 2024
Your Mind Is Not Your Friend (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
Single · 2023
New Order T-Shirt
Single · 2023
Eucalyptus
Single · 2023
Alphabet City
Single · 2023
Tropic Morning News
Single · 2023
Space Invader
Single · 2023
Weird Goodbyes (feat. Bon Iver)
Single · 2022
Somebody Desperate (From ''Cyrano'' Soundtrack)
Single · 2021
I Need My Girl
Single · 2014
Exile Vilify (From the Game "Portal 2")
Single · 2011
Bloodbuzz Ohio
Single · 2010
A Skin, A Night + The Virginia EP
EP · 2008
Apartment Story
Single · 2007
Mistaken for Strangers
Single · 2007
Lit Up
Single · 2005
Cherry Tree (2021 Remaster)
EP · 2004
Cherry Tree
EP · 2004
Slipping Husband
Single · 2003
Collaborators
2
Upcoming shows
Community
More about The National
About
The National is an indie rock band formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1999 and currently based in Brooklyn, New York. The band's lyrics, which have been described as "dark, melancholy and difficult to interpret", are written and sung by Matt Berninger, a baritone. The rest of the band is composed of two pairs of brothers: twins Aaron (guitar and keyboard) and Bryce Dessner (guitar) and Scott (bass) and Bryan Devendorf (drums). The National has been compared to Joy Division, Leonard Cohen, Wilco and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. The name of the band was chosen because it "didn't mean anything" and was "benign and meaningless". In 1991, Matt Berninger and Scott Devendorf met while attending the University of Cincinnati, where they also met Mike Brewer, Casey Reas and Jeff Salem. Together, the five of them formed the lo-fi garage band Nancy, named after Berninger's mother, aspiring to sound like Pavement. The band was together for five years, but only released one album, Ruther 3429, on Wife Records before breaking up after Berninger, Devendorf, Reas and Salem moved to Brooklyn.
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Bryan, Bryce and Aaron were childhood friends who played in several bands together over the years. When their last effort, Project Nim, broke up in 1998, they joined Matt and Scott in Brooklyn via the Devendorf relationship. When the band was formed in 1999, it was called The National, although the domain name of the band's website is americanmary.com because, according to Matt Berninger in an interview with Better Propaganda, "t's a song off our first record. We never thought of changing the (website) name, although we should have." Several of the members continued to work day jobs while performing free Sunday night shows regularly at the highly regarded NYC Lower East Side venue, Luna Lounge, throughout the early years, including being involved in New York's dot-com boom in the late 1990s.
The National in brief
- How many The National releases are on Riffiter?
- 41 releases are catalogued, spanning 2001 to 2026.
- When was The National formed?
- The National formed in 1999, in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- What genre is The National?
- The National is catalogued under Alternative Rock.
- What is the most recent The National release on Riffiter?
- Never Tear Us Apart, released in 2026.