The National have released their first single, “Weird Goodbyes”, off their upcoming new album.

The new son is a collaboration with long time friend and partner Bon Iver and a string composition from Bryce Dessner played by the London Contemporary Orchestra.

Matt Berninger said this of the song: “…it’s about letting go of the past and moving on, then later being overwhelmed by second thoughts.” Aaron Dessner said: “‘Weird Goodbyes’ was one of the first new songs we made, I was misusing drum machines, as usual, and stumbled onto this beat that got stuck in my head – it felt like something only Bryan could naturally play. We built the song around the beat. Matt’s melody and words felt so elegant and moving from the beginning – mourning a loss of innocence and motivation, holding onto memories and feelings that inevitably slip away and the grief we all suffer in weird goodbyes.”