Long before The National became a cornerstone of modern dad rock, they were a well-established, hard-working band looking for a break. The release of 2007's Boxer, a crystallization of the group’s melodic brand of mope, finally catapulted them into the spotlight, bringing a new level of success that finally put The National into the inter-national spotlight.
Now, Coffee & Flowers, a podcast all about the band, is set to debut next Monday with a first season focused entirely on Boxer.
The series, created by Christopher Hooton and David Rapson, will go deep into Boxer, discussing each track from the album along with commentary from the band’s Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner, producer Peter Katis, and more guests you’d never mistaken for strangers.
A teaser for the series offers an example of the podcast’s focus, with Berninger explaining the “stalker-y” origins of “Green Gloves” and its evolution into a song about trying to understand a loved one through their material possessions. The only other snippet now available—a trailer released back when the podcast was first announced—shows why Boxer is such a good starting place for a podcast about the band. In it, Berninger describes the album’s context. He talks about working a crappy job during the Bush presidency and the “sense of defeat” that inspired the recording. Also, its place in The National’s career: “Who puts out four records that kind of don’t get much attention?” Berninger says. “If this one didn’t get a lot it was over.”
Now, as we know, The National is big enough to inspire parodic Frasier theme song covers (the most reliable bar for success), as well as a vague global tour, “A Special Evening With The National,” that would sell out even if it were nothing more than Berninger cleaning his glasses for three hours.
Coffee & Flowers kicks off on Monday, March 4th and will be available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and Google.
[via Pitchfork]