Matt Berninger’s musical journey is the story of how a voice filled with doubt and passion came to symbolize a generation of melancholy indie rockers. From his first performances with The National to solo experiments and film projects, his career is full of pivotal moments, collaborations and heartfelt creative decisions.
The National: from Cincinnati to the World Stage
- 1999 – Matt Berninger, Scott and Brian Devendorf, and brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner formed The National in New York City.
- 2001-2005 – The band released three albums, The National (2001), Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers (2003) and Alligator (2005), which attracted critical and listener attention.
- 2007 – The album Boxer received critical acclaim and strengthened the band’s position on the international scene.
Vanity Fair+1thescenestar.typepad.com+1 - 2010-2019 – Successful albums released include High Violet (2010), Trouble Will Find Me (2013), Sleep Well Beast (2017) and I Am Easy to Find (2019).
- 2023 – The band released two albums, First Two Pages of Frankenstein and Laugh Track.
Solo career: from EL VY to Serpentine Prison
- 2014 – Matt Berninger and Brent Knopf (Ramona Falls, Menomena) formed the EL VY project.
- 2015 – Released debut album Return to the Moon, which received positive reviews from critics.
- 2020 – Matt released his solo album Serpentine Prison, produced by Booker T. Jones.
- 2025 – A second solo album titled Get Sunk is announced, scheduled for release on May 30, 2025.
Outside of music: musicals and movies
- 2018 – Matt contributed to the musical Cyrano, which was adapted into a movie in 2021.
- 2019 – Matt appeared in Between Two Ferns: The Movie and was the subject of an episode of the Dirty Diana podcast, produced by Demi Moore.