Listen: The National Preview ‘Rome’ Live Album with ‘NTL RM EP II’

October 23, 2024

Photo Credit: Graham MacIndoe

In September, The National formally announced Rome, a new live collection and the band’s first full-length offering since 2023’s Laugh Track. Set to release on Dec. 13 via 4AD, the expansive concert album chronicles a June 3 performance at Rome’s Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone, capturing the captivating era-spanning program of the group’s recent live appearances with 21 tracks. Today, as a second preview of the project, the alt-rock forerunners have shared NTL RM EP II, another four-track package of songs from the show.

After NTL RM EP I, which featured “I Need My Girl” “Lemonworld” “The Geese of Beverly Road” and “Lit Up,”The National’s second EP further showcases the depth of its canon with four more fan favorites from the show’s final stretch. “Fake Empire” leads the charge among these new entries, lending the unforgettable standout from 2007’s Boxer new gravity as the crowd audibly calls out every line. An explosive performance of the scattered Laugh Track album closer “Smoke Detector” follows, accented by frontman Matt Berninger hooting and hollering over a chorus of chainsaw guitars. This energy holds through an anthemic “Mr. November,” which burns down to a hot and heavy slow-burn for 2010’s “Terrible Love.” Taken together, these tracks stand as a prime example of the ferocity that The National have accumulated over 25 years on top.

Rome was mixed without overdubs by the band’s longtime producer and collaborator Peter Katis. Other cuts to be included on the double album include essentials like “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” “Don’t Swallow the Cap,” “The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness,” “England” and “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks” alongside more recent entries like “Eucalyptus,” “New Order T-Shirt,” and “Tropic Morning News.” The album will be released on digital and two-LP vinyl formats, as well as a limited Italian flag-themed three-LP pressing with five bonus songs exclusive to members of the group’s Cherry Tree fan club.

Rome is available to pre-order and pre-save now. For more information on the project and The National, visit americanmary.com. Listen to NTL RM EP II below, and read on for the collection’s complete tracklist.