The National and Phoebe Bridgers are cracking up to stave off falling apart in the new animated music video for their recent collaboration, “Laugh Track.”

The video was directed and animated by Bernard Derrimen, who recently helmed The Bob’s Burgers Movie. In it, a couple sit down for a grave conversation but are soon overwhelmed by a rising tide of chuckling faces. Before the couple nearly drowns in bleak hilarity, however, they launch into the sky, escaping the deluge and eventually landing back at the table for a clear-eyed conversation. 

“Laugh Track” is the title track from the National’s second album of 2023, which arrived back in September. The band announced the LP just a few days before its release at the opening night set of their Homecoming Festival in Cincinnati. Along with Bridgers, Laugh Track featured guest appearances from Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and Rosanne Cash. 

Bridgers also featured on two songs from the National’s first album of 2023, First Two Pages of Frankenstein, which arrived back in April (and also featured Sufjan Stevens and Taylor Swift). In a statement, National frontman Matt Berninger said of Bridgers, “Her voice is the soft edge of the song. It takes some of the snarky, sarcastic bitterness out of it and makes it sweet and gentle.” 

Along with releasing two albums, the National have spent much of 2023 on the road. They have a few remaining North American tour dates scheduled for this month, as well as a slate of shows in Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., and Europe scheduled for 2024.