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Matt Berninger 'Serpentine Prison': Release date, concept, tracklist and all you need to know about the singer's solo debut project

The singer-songwriter got signed to Concord Records very recently and along with it the album will be also released via Booker T Jones’ Imprint Book Records

Matt Berninger, who is primarily known as the frontman of indie rock band The National, is all set to release his solo debut album titled 'Serpentine Prison'. The singer-songwriter has been with the band since its formation in 1999 in Brooklyn but in May 2020, Berninger had announced that he will be dropping his solo debut project very soon.

The 49-year-old artiste has been posting updates on his official Twitter account. He had announced the album with the tweet, "My record, 'Serpentine Prison', comes out October 2nd on @ConcordRecords in conjunction with #BookRecords. Here's the title track, with a video featuring all the incredible people who helped me make it."

Berninger had also shared a short video attached in the same tweet where he teased his fans with the title track of the album 'Serpentine Prison'. 

Release date

Berninger's 'Serpentine Prison' will hit the Internet on October 2, 2020. The album has been produced by Booker T Jones. According to NME Magazine, the singer got signed to Concord Records very recently. The album will also be released via Booker T Jones' Imprint Book Records.

Concept

Berninger had shared the official artwork of his new record in September on his official Twitter account. He had tweeted, "I'm also thrilled to share the album artwork by the one and only Michael Carson, designed by Dale Doyle at Holotype Studio."

In the artwork we can see, Berninger looks like a painting as he comfortably sits in a chair in a secluded corner. The singer looks dapper in a suit. His legs are folded, eyes are closed and his left hand is touching his left ear and his face is calm as if he is reminiscing.

Speaking about the album to NME Magazine in December last year, Berninger said, "It is not the greatest solo album in the world, but it's in the top five." He then dived into elaborations of the sound. He said, "I wasn’t trying to do anything with a genre in mind. With the covers, which you might never hear, I was singing some country songs, some soul songs and different things. I didn't think about the style of the songs or even trying to avoid sounding like The National or [side-project] El Vy. There’s cross-pollination, but I wasn’t trying to go after anything. I just wanted to find some good songs."

Tracklist

NME also reported that 'Serpentine Prison', which is named after "a twisting sewer pipe that drains into the ocean near LAX," features guest contributions from the likes of Matt Barrick, Andrew Bird, Mike Brewer, Hayden Desser, Scott Devendorf, Gail Ann Dorsey, Teddy Jones, Brent Knopf, Ben Lanz, Walter Martin, Mickey Raphael, Kyle Resnick, Matt Sheehy and Harrison Whitford.

The album will keep fans hooked with 16 songs. The title track 'Serpentine Prison' and the single 'One More Second' from the album were released earlier in order to promote the album. And, speaking of the songs, this is how the tracklist looks like:
 
'My Eyes Are T-Shirts'
'Distant Axis'
'One More Second'
'Loved So Little'
'Silver Springs'
'Oh Dearie'
'Take Me Out of Town'
'Collar of Your Shirt'
'All for Nothing'
''Serpentine Prison'
'European Son' 
'Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye'
'In Spite of Me'
'Big Bird'
'Let It Be'
‘'The End'
 
You can listen to the title track 'Serpentine Prison' here:

Where to stream?

Berninger’s solo debut project 'Serpentine Prison' will be available on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon Music and YouTube.