The National Release Short Film I Am Easy to Find Starring Alicia Vikander

The band, The National has premiered a short film to coincide with new music. Named after their new album, I Am Easy To Find, their eighth studio album is expected to be released on May 17th of this year. It is their longest album to date with over 63 minutes of music. A tour will also accompany the album, scheduled to begin early summer.

Mike Mills directed the nearly 24 minute film, starring Alicia Vikander, which you might know from her role as Lara Croft in the recent remake of Tomb Raider. Mills describes the project as “playfully hostile siblings that love to steal from each other— they share music and words and DNA and impulses and a vision about what it means to be human in 2019, but don’t necessarily need one another. He says “The National gave me the stems for their songs, some were sketches some were finished and encouraged and allowed me to create my own versions of the songs to score the film. The album then features different versions of these same 7 songs — and 9 new songs which sometimes refer to the themes, texts, ideas from the film — but are their own work, their own piece of art.”

As the short film starts, the voice of lead singer Matt Berninger can be heard before the female voices come in. In a seamless way, it makes transitions throughout the film from peaceful to upbeat in tempo. The change in energy helps to distinguish between the different sections, as well as tell the story of the songs. It’s neither a soundtrack to a movie or a music video for the album, but instead a piece of work that shares common visuals and themes. In closing, Alicia Vikander lays in bed while her hand is held in comfort by a dark haired woman. It represents the close friendships we have throughout life, burdens, sentimentality, as well as the natural cycle of ups and downs.

This isn’t the first time the band has worked with Mike Mills. They recently worked together on a music video for “Hairpin Turns”, their third single from I Am Easy To Find.

Watch “I Am Easy To Find” here:

Photo Credit: Boston Lynn Schulz