Listen: The National Preview ‘Rome’ Live Collection with ‘NTL RM EP I’

September 23, 2024

Photo Credit: Graham MacIndoe

While crossing North America with the Zen Diagram Tour, The National have officially announced Rome, a new full-length live collection. Set to release on Dec. 13, the band’s forthcoming concert album chronicles its June 3 performance at Rome’s Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone, capturing the captivating era-spanning program of its recent live appearances with 21 tracks. To preview the project, the band has shared four songs from the show on NTL RM EP I.

The first EP from Rome features four fan favorites unearthed from the band’s deep discography, delivered with gravity and grit honed over two decades at the forefront of alternative rock. The iconic standout hit “I Need My Girl,” drawn from 2013’s Trouble Will Find Me, introduces the album with frontman Matt Berninger’s haunting vocals. This moody atmosphere gets a shot in the arm from the follow-up “Lemonworld,” which opens up the lo-fi interiority of the 2010 High Violet classic for darkly propulsive, arena-suited treatment. “The Geese of Beverly Road” and “Lit Up,” both from 2005’s Alligator, round out the first taste of Rome with a twin testament to the ferocious energy that distinguishes The National onstage from The National on tape.

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 “Fake Empire,” 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. Pre-order the album here.

In advance of its album release, The National will continue to make headlines on the Zen Diagram Tour with The War on Drugs and Lucius. The trio of indie mainstays will touch down next at Chicago’s United Center tomorrow, Sept. 24, then keep on for 11 further stops through Oct. 10. For tickets and more information on the tour, visit americanmary.com.

Read on for the complete tracklist from Rome.