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The National’s Matt Berninger and Menomena’s Brent Knopf Share First Single as EL VY

Matt Berninger of the National and Brent Knopf of Ramona Falls and Menomena have shared the first track from their new musical partnership, EL VY. The song is the title track off the duo’s debut LP, Return to the Moon, though the YouTube video gives it a lengthy subtitle: “(Political Song For Didi Bloome To Sing, With Crescendo).” It’s just north of the National’s trademark sound, as there’s a little bit of pizzazz alongside Berninger’s normal, elegant melancholy. The pair explained how the project came together in a press release:

The album is a project Berninger and Knopf have been thinking about for years. Their friendship spans nearly a decade, starting back when the National and Menomena played small half-empty clubs along America’s west coast. Feeling an immediate musical kinship, the pair kept in touch, Brent sending Matt occasional rough sketches of music and Matt responding with melodies and lyrics. Finally, in the winter and spring of 2014-15, they actually got together to make an album.

Return To The Moon drops on October 30 via 4AD.