With the COVID-19 pandemic stopping concerts, festivals and any other public gathering, musicians have had to get creative with how they make new videos.
The National‘s Matt Berninger took this into account while filming his new video for “Distant Axis.” The video shows him walking to a makeshift set to film the visual with his brother and co-director Tom Berninger and Chris Sgroi. With a huge sheet of a green screen on the ground, Berninger sits in a swivel chair spinning around and rolling on the ground as random objects — including wigs, a Magic 8-Ball and a Hillary Clinton doll — are thrown at him.
“Distant Axis” was a collaboration between Berninger and Walter Martin of The Walkmen. The two also worked on “Quarantine Boogie (Loco),” which dropped in April.
“I met Walter Martin fifteen years ago when The National opened for The Walkmen on a tour of shitty clubs in the American Southeast,” he said in a statement. “On that tour, I learned a lot about how to be in a band without ruining your life. I also learned a lot about Florida, Tennessee and Georgia. Walt and I have stayed friends and about three years ago we started passing ideas back and forth. ‘Distant Axis’ started from a sketch Walt sent me named ‘Savannah.’ I think it’s about falling out of touch with someone or something you once thought would be there forever.”
Berninger previously released the title track back in May.
Watch Matt Berninger’s new video for “Distant Axis” below.
Serpentine Prison is out on Oct. 2 via Book Records in conjunction with Concord Records.
