The National Recorded Their New Album in a Hudson Valley Barn

The National are one of the biggest bands in indie rock, and have been playing music together for nearly twenty years. Their seventh album, Sleep Well Beast, was released earlier this month to strong reviews, with some calling it their best album yet. And here's a cool local connection that we have to the album - it was recorded in a barn right here in the Hudson Valley. 

The band's guitarist Aaron Dessner purchased an 18th-century farmhouse located in Hudson for his family, but he also saw the opportunity to use the building as a refuge for his band. An old barn was rebuilt into what the band has dubbed "The Long Pond Studio," and over a period of several months Sleep Well Beast was recorded right there. Not only that, but the barn also serves as the cover for the new album.

This change of scenery ended up being a terrific help to the band, creatively. It was the most collaborative process they've had since the band began, and the album reached number one on Billboard's charts for Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums. Knowing that it was made right in our backyards is some cool context for what may end up being one of the best albums of the year.