I t was a BYOD (Bring Your Own Dylan jacket) type of night as Matt Berninger celebrated the release of his new album, Get Sunk, with a secret show at our New York flagship opposite Madison Square Park. Guests sipped Palomas and Poetry Snaps Rice Lager while Todd chatted with the lead singer of The National about their respective creative processes.

“Creating music is almost like cooking. Design and songwriting, you need a balance — the right amount of pasta, the right amount of sauce,” said Matt. “Negative space in songs is just as important as in a work of art.”

And Todd agreed: “It’s funny. I think of cooking the same way when I’m designing clothes. The ingredients are all known. It’s how you put them together.”

Convo completed, Matt then treated the crowd to a lo-fi, intimate performance of songs from his just-released solo album. Backed by Julia Laws (aka Ron Boy) on keyboards and producer/musician Sean O’Brien on acoustic guitar, he performed  “No Love,” “Frozen Oranges,” “Silver Jeep,”  and “Inland Ocean.” Before he launched into the last number, “Bonnet of Pins,” he dedicated the song to Todd and informed the crowd: “I’ve been trying to get him to make men’s bonnets for years.”

You can tell that Matt and Scott [Devendorf] from The National trained as graphic designers. The album covers are next level.

— Todd

You know Duckie from Pretty In Pink? That was me in high school. I did the combat boots and vests and hats. I wore a trench coat a lot. I was into vintage, and there was a lot of Goodwill fashion going in West Cincinnati.

— Matt