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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
As told to Laura Snapes

The National’s Matt Berninger: ‘I have a healthy marriage because I write about looking into the abyss’

Matt Berninger in his garden
‘You touch the scariest things and that’s how you defuse them’ … Matt Berninger. Photograph: The Washington Post/Getty Images

What’s your favourite song on your new album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein? 1moresecond

There are a lot of songs I’m proud of on this record because there was such a long phase where I just could not write at all. The last song, Send for Me, is maybe the kindest, most tender song I’ve written. A lot of these songs are pretty tender – I think I was attracted to the music that was the most self-soothing. I wanted to write a song to be there for other people, because I got through a phase of depression where a lot of people were there for me. It’s one of those unconditionally kind and loving songs, and I don’t write many of those. I’m always picking myself apart.

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