Members of Cincinnati-grown The National have been busy lately. In January, guitarist Aaron Dessner supported Taylor Swift's songwriting prowess during a dust-up with another musician. Now vocalist Matt Berninger is generating headlines for a new collaboration.
Berninger is featured on a new song by Nashville singer-songwriter Caroline Spence called "I Know You Know Me." Released Feb. 4, the ballad has a sweet melancholy tinge to it — something that's become a trademark in Berninger's songs — despite actually being about having someone you fully, deeply see and understand.
In it, Spence and Berninger trade verses on behalf of their characters, acknowledging their places in each others' lives, and the song builds with layered instrumentation. Their exchanges sound like beautiful, gentle love letters, with the overall composition a heartfelt cousin to The Swell Season's 2006 hit "Falling Slowly."
Listen to the song below.
On Feb. 4, Berninger shared the new single. "It was a pleasure to sing with
@carolinespence_ on her new song 'I Know You Know Me,'" he said on Twitter.
"I Know You Know Me" will be part of an album Spence plans to release later this year. She will perform at Cincinnati's Ludlow Garage on Wednesday, March 23.It was a pleasure to sing with @carolinespence_ on her new song “I Know You Know Me”.
— Matt Berninger (@Mattberninger) February 4, 2022
Listen to it here: https://t.co/OgB5cl2hPU pic.twitter.com/uatoiBGJsP
Berninger released his debut solo album Serpentine Prison in 2020 and covered The Velvet Underground's "I'm Waiting for the Man" for a tribute album in 2021.
In October, The National celebrated the 20th anniversary of its self-titled debut album by releasing its entire catalog on BandCamp.
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