When The National released their first album in 4 years, there was a sense of underwhelming.

The First Two Pages of Frankenstein is a good album but after such a long gap one felt that their should have been more to it. Turns out their was and here we are a few months later with it's follow up, Laugh Track.

Very much companions in style, Laugh Track manages the open goal of being thematically more upbeat than ...Frankenstein. Overall it probably has stronger songs or at the very least, more enjoyable songs. It has more tempo and life in it where its predecessor at times felt down and hopeless (understandibly given it documents Berninger's mental health struggles).

Laugh Track gives us an assurance that the band really did come out the other side of the storm. Both albums stick to what The National now do so well, as the t-shirt says, "sad dad" music.