The internet was chattering big time yesterday after Cincinnati ex-pats The National made a big announcement. The guys have a new album and announced a handful of tour dates to go along with it. Since The National are one of our favorite bands of the past decade, we are pretty excited about the follow up to Boxer this May and wanted to not only let you know, but do a little speculating as well.

We speculated last year about the new record, but now that the date has been announced, what can we expect from the album? Well, the official press release doesn’t really give too many details other than the tour dates and that the record will be out in May. So what songs can we expect on the new disc? The guys have been testing out several new songs in the past year or so, here are a few we are almost certain make the cut.

“Blood Buzz Ohio” “Love Buzz, Ohio” – This is a song that has been part of the live setlist at most shows in the past 8-12 months. The guys played it as headliner during the Pitchfork Festival last summer and you can watch some video of the song being performed below. - Odds it ends up on the new album 5/2 -

Here are some unconfirmed lyrics as well.

I was carried to Ohio in a storm of bees
I never married but Ohio don’t remember me
I still owe money to the money to the money I owe
I never thought about love
When I thought about home
I still owe money to the money to the money I owe
The floors are falling out from everybody I know

“Big Red Machine” – This tune has actually already been recorded and released as a part of the Dark Was The Night compilation last year, but I think there is a chance a new version of it ends up on the new album. Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and Aaron Dessner are credited on the compilation, but Matt took the stage to perform the tune with Justin last year at Radio City Music Hall during the Dark Was The Night concert. – Odds it ends up on the new album 12/1 -

“Vanderlye, Cry Baby Cry” – Another live set staple in recent months, I’m not sure if this title is “Vanderlye Cry Baby” or “Vanderlye, Cry Baby Cry” but I have seen both out there on the web. And some are calling it “Vanderlylle” but I’m not in agreement on that. Here is a live performance of the song, what do you think the song title is? Also, in the video, check out Bryce playing this guitar with a bow. - Odds it ends up on the new album 3/1 -

“The Runaway” - Maybe my favorite new tune in the bunch, this not only has a confirmed title but also a really great recording and video to go along with it. The National performed the tune during a session with Studio Q in Canada. It was untitled at the time, but has since been confirmed as “The Runaway.” - Odds it ends up on the new album 5/2-

***UPDATE*** Here are some words from Matt regarding songs on the new album.

Pitchfork: Can you name any of the songs that will be on it?

MB: It’s hard to tell because we’re still going to chop some. One of the contenders is “Love Buzz, Ohio”. There’s one called “Romantic Comedy”, there’s one called “L.A. Cathedral”, there’s one called “Quiet Company”, and there’s one called “Runaway”. There’s a bunch that are untitled. There’s a few that we’ve played live before. Most of those will make it, but I think we’re still going to chop a couple of songs, and we don’t really know which ones we’re going to chop yet.

For a long time, we thought “Love Buzz, Ohio” was going to be a big, important song on this record, but just last week we were all thinking maybe it doesn’t even belong on the record. It’s so weird how quick we shift around the idea of what kind of record this is going to be. That song has had the potential to be good, but we just haven’t found it yet. We haven’t quite found its heart yet. But now we’ve jumped in and out of it and have done a few things, maybe stripped it way back.

It’s also going to be interesting to see if any of the bands friends turn up on the new release. We already know the Dessners have a list of friends that reads like a Pitchfork Best New Music archive. So who would you like to see the band collaborate with on this record? St. Vincent, Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver, Dirty Projectors, David Byrne or maybe Joanna Newsom? Well, it’s possible. Below are the tour dates announced yesterday, the pre-sales are already running so get em fast!

The National U.S./Canada Tour:

APR 22-23: Richmond, VA @ The National Theater
MAY 6: London, England @ Royal Albert Hall
MAY 7: Paris, France @ Le Zenith (w/Pavement)
MAY 9: Berlin, Germany @ Astra
MAY 22: Los Angeles, CA @ The Wiltern
MAY 23: San Diego, CA @ Spreckels Theater
MAY 27: Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
JUN 02: Boston, MA @ House of Blues
JUN 5: Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
JUN 6: Washington DC @ DAR Constitution Hall
JUN 8: Toronto, Ont. @ Massey Hall
JUN 16: New York, NY @ Radio City Music Hall