8 September 2017
Sleep Well Beast
The National
By Maeve C.
Sleep Well Beast was produced by Aaron Dessner in his upstate New York studio, with Bryce Dessner and Matt Berninger co-producing. The National let propulsive arrangements and uneasy domestic scenes sit side by side: ‘The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness’ pushes forward, while ‘Guilty Party’ turns towards a relationship coming apart.
That contrast keeps the twelve-song album unsettled. Movement in the music does not always mean movement for the people inside the songs. Berninger’s restrained delivery leaves room for those contradictions, and the production gives them a broad setting without smoothing them away. 4AD released Sleep Well Beast on 8 September 2017.