SINGLE LET IT BE IS AVAILABLE TODAY

EXPANDED EDITION FEATURES SIX BONUS TRACKS INCLUDING TWO NEW ORIGINALS

Toronto, ON – February 19, 2021 – An expanded deluxe edition of Serpentine Prison, the acclaimed solo debut by The National frontman, Matt Berninger, will be released digitally on March 12. Listen to Let It Be, released today.

The expanded edition, which was previously available as a limited-edition double vinyl album, features six bonus tracks, including two originals as well as interpretations of songs by Eddie Floyd, Morphine, Bettye Swan, and the Velvet Underground. A new, limited pressing on neon chartreuse vinyl is available exclusively from Berninger’s website.

The album, produced by famed Memphis multi-instrumentalist, Booker T. Jones, was released in October 2020 via Book’s Records, a new imprint formed by Berninger and Jones in association with Concord Records.

Berninger explained the genesis of the recording. “I sent [friend and collaborator Booker T. Jones] a few rough demos of originals that I had started working on with some old friends, including the songs Serpentine Prison and Distant Axis. Booker responded to those demos right away and encouraged me to keep writing and digging deeper into that stuff. Six months later we had twelve originals and seven covers. Everyone I had been working with on these songs came to Venice, California, and we recorded it all in 14 days.”

Since its release, Serpentine Prison has inspired high praise from critics on both sides of the Atlantic. Writing in the UK’s The Line of Best Fit, Steven Lofton, observed, “Berninger can take those feelings – the one’s where you’re unpacking the heft of life; its coarse howl reverberating around the hollowed and hallowed halls of a heart - and give them a spirit that dances like poetry and strikes like fangs.” Record Collector’s, Hannah Vettese, concurs. “It’s a stunning record – from the album artwork down to the perfectly-weighted running order, nothing is out of place and nothing jars. Matt Berninger didn’t want to write a solo record. But thank god he did.”

Rolling Stone’s, Jon Dolan, noted that Berninger’s “gorgeous solo debut leans into his band’s core sound while emphasizing what makes him unique,” while Paste’s, Candace McDuffie, proclaimed, “Serpentine Prison displays infinite promise from an artist who has already given us a catalogue that has made a lasting impact on rock music as we know it.”

The NME’s, Andrew Trendell. called the album “an intimate and generous offering from one of 21st Century rock’s most prominent voices,” and wryly suggests, “If you’re one of those weirdos who doesn’t put their records in alphabetical artist order, then Serpentine Prison should be filed next to Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds’ The Boatman’s Call and Leonard Cohen’s You Want It Darker as a lesson in stately, direct and personal songwriting prowess.”

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