The National debut unreleased songs on tour

Returning to live touring for the first time in three years, The National performed three new songs to their Spanish crowd on Saturday night. The audience at Baluarte in Pamplona, Spain had the pleasure of being the first crowd to hear unreleased tracks, ‘Grease In Your Hair (Birdie),’ ‘Tropic Morning News (Havisham),’ and ‘Bathwater (Mount Auburn).’

Aaron Dessner and his crew snuck the new songs in the middle of a nostalgic setlist that showcased most of the band’s most beloved tracks, from ‘Fake Empire’ to ‘I Need My Girl,’ while also dipping into their recent discography, playing tracks off The National’s 2019 record, I Am Easy To Find.

The unleashed songs were a delightful surprise for fans, but the band teasing new music comes to no surprise. In a recent social media post to The National’s page, the band shared shots from tour rehearsals while hinting at incoming, new music.

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A post shared by The National (@thenational)

In the caption, the band wrote, “It’s great for the seven of us to finally be back together in a room working on music both fresh and familiar.”

Earlier this year, The National shared that their upcoming record will take sonic inspiration from their early sound, with some newfound, amped energy. The band has yet to share a release date for the follow-up to I Am Easy To Find, but the imminent album is expected to arrive at some point this summer as they continue their live tour.

Watch a clip from The National’s show in Pamplona this weekend below as they debut their unreleased sound.

El final del concierto de @thenational en ⁦#Pamplona no ha podido ser más bonito. pic.twitter.com/HPDPDYcdoX

— Juan Ortiz Irache (@juanortizirache) May 28, 2022