Nashville singer-songwriter Caroline Spence offers a meditation on intimacy with the National’s Matt Berninger in “I Know You Know Me.” The new collaboration follows Spence’s 2019 album Mint Condition.
Built around a set of thick acoustic guitar chords, “I Know You Know Me” is heavy on atmosphere and gradually brings in subtle synth and plaintive strings. Spence and Berninger sing of deep understanding that connects two people, even when their actions sometimes belie that fact.
“I’m hiding, but I know that you can see,” Spence sings in one verse. Berninger echoes the sentiment in his weary croon: “You are the moon that pulls the tide back in.”
“I’m still beside myself that Matt agreed to be a part of this song,” Spence said in a release. “I recorded my own solo version for my upcoming record, but always saw potential for it as a duet. Matt’s voice brought a new depth to the narrative and the sonic palette of this song.”
Spence is currently working on the full-length follow-up to Mint Condition, which is slated for release later in 2022. Beginning in mid-March, she will headline a series of tour dates with stops including Nashville’s Basement East, Tulsa’s Mercury Lounge, and New York’s Rockwood Music Hall.
Berninger, meanwhile, released his debut solo album Serpentine Prison, produced by Booker T. Jones, in 2020. The National’s most recent album is 2019’s I Am Easy to Find.