I Am Easy to Find (album)


I Am Easy to Find is the eighth studio album by American indie rock band the National, released on May 17, 2019, via 4AD. The follow-up to the band's 2017 album, Sleep Well Beast, it was supported by the lead single, "You Had Your Soul With You", and accompanied by a short film of the same name, directed by Mike Mills and starring Alicia Vikander. Vikander is also featured on the album cover. A trailer was released for the companion film along with the announcement of the album. A tour promoting the album began in June 2019.

Background

The bulk of the album was recorded at Long Pond studio in Hudson Valley, New York. Parts were recorded in other cities, including Paris, Berlin, Dublin, Cincinnati, Austin, and Brooklyn. The album and film, while having influenced each other, were essentially made separately. A press release stated that the album "is not the soundtrack" for the film; the idea for the album itself came after the film was shot.
The album features female vocalists including Lisa Hannigan, Sharon Van Etten, Mina Tindle, Gail Ann Dorsey, Kate Stables, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.

Critical reception

I Am Easy to Find was met with widespread critical acclaim. Reviewing in his Substack-published "Consumer Guide" column, Robert Christgau said that "almost every track is open to substantive female input on a musical whole that feels consistently interactive and empathetic and also not so glum—even when you can’t pin down exact meanings, it makes love sound possible."

Year-end rankings

PublicationAccoladeRank
The A.V. ClubTop 20 Albums of 201920
GothamistBest Album of 20197
Louder Than WarTop 50 Albums of 201911
Magnet MagazineTop 25 Albums of 20199
MusicOMHTop 50 Albums of 201914
The SkinnyTop Ten Albums of 20196

Track listing

Notes
The National – arrangement, performance
Featured vocalists
Technical personnel
Artwork
Additional musicians
Orchestration
Brooklyn Youth Chorus
Director Mike Mills developed a short film based on early clips of the songs featured on the album. As the two projects developed concurrently the final songs used in each differ from one another.
The title for both the short film and the album was chosen by Mike Mills from a lyric in the song of the same name. The song was originally titled Washington before Mike Mills insisted on altering it.

Cast

Weekly charts

Year-end charts