The National recently announced the 13 December release of Rome, a 21-track digital and two-LP and CD set recorded live on 3 June 2024 at Cavea of the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone. Now, they have shared another four song EP titled NTL RM EP II, featuring album highlights ‘Smoke Detector’, ‘Fake Empire’, ‘Mr. November’, and ‘Terrible Love’.
Rome spans the band’s 20-plus years of songwriting and reveals how each song has taken on a new life in live performance. It was mixed by longtime collaborator Peter Katis. “You have to see this band live” is often said about The National, and now, Rome is the next best thing to actually being there.
The band previously shared a four-song EP titled NTL RM EP I that included ‘I Need My Girl’, ‘Lemonworld’, ‘The Geese of Beverly Road’ and ‘Lit Up’.
Rome is the definitive live document of The National. Recorded at the architecturally stunning venue Parco Della Musica Ennio Morricone, named for the famed Italian film composer, the 21-track LP showcases scintillating versions of beloved songs like ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio,’ ‘Don’t Swallow the Cap,’ ‘I Need My Girl,’ ‘The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness,’ ‘England’ and ‘Fake Empire’; plus sharpened readings of recent tracks ‘Eucalyptus,’ ‘New Order T-Shirt,’ ‘Tropic Morning News’ and the boundary pushing ‘Smoke Detector.’
Reflecting how the band changes set lists significantly from night to night to cast fresh light on hidden gems from the catalogue, Rome is marked by rarities such as show opener ‘Runaway,’ ‘Lemonworld,’ ‘The Geese of Beverly Road,’ ‘Lit Up’ and a tour de force pairing of ‘Humiliation’ from the critically acclaimed album Trouble Will Find Me into Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers’ ‘Murder Me Rachael.’
The Rome encore features the election anthem ‘Mr. November,’ and, from High Violet, ‘Terrible Love’ and the show-closing fan singalong, ‘Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks.’ In their live show review, The Guardian called The National “an era-defining band at the peak of their powers…as this stunning two-and-a-half-hour epic becomes a communal catharsis.” Rolling Stone UK also said “it’s clear that the band…have deserved their place at the top table for a decade now….A show that’s simply euphoric, and sees the band reaching a new peak.”
Download / stream NTL RM EP II here.
Pre-order / pre-save Rome here.
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