Bright Eyes Set August 21 Release Date for Their Comeback Album

Earlier today, indie folk band Bright Eyes announced the details of their upcoming reunion album, Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was.

The band said that the album will come out on August 21. When it does, Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was will become Bright Eyes’s tenth release and their first in nine years.

The band announced its reunion on Instagram this January. Founded by lead singer Conor Oberst at age 15, Bright Eyes recorded together from 1995 to 2011 before separating to pursue solo careers.

Throughout their sixteen years of activity, Bright Eyes gained critical and commercial success with their sensitive songwriting and constantly evolving sound. Tracks such as “First Day Of My Life” and “Lover I Don’t Have To Love” have earned the Omaha, Nebraska, natives a place in the canon of American indie.

Since reuniting, Bright Eyes have released four new tracks: ‘Persona Non Grata,’ ‘Forced Convalescence,’ ‘One And Done’ and ‘Mariana Trench.’

The latest, ‘Mariana Trench,’ came out alongside the band’s announcement today. Featuring bassist Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and drummer Jon Theodore of Queens of the Stone Age, the track is epic in scope, driven forward by soaring synths and hyperactive drums.

‘Mariana Trench’ also came with a music video: a 2,200 frame animation hand-painted by Art Camp. Describing the video’s production process, Art Camp said “in 18 different bedrooms across the world, listening to Bright Eyes, keeping each other company, we got the chance to collaborate on a story about embracing and celebrating change.”

Bright Eyes’s new project has been in the works for several years. Oberst proposed the band’s reunion to trumpet and piano player Nate Walcott at a Christmas party in 2017. The two then retreated to a bathroom and called multi-instrumentalist Mike Mogis, who was immediately enthusiastic about the idea.

Since then, the trio has been writing and recording material for their upcoming LP. For Oberst, the return to Bright Eyes has been natural: “Our history and our friendship, and my trust level with them, is so complete and deep,” he said in a statement.

Bright Eyes announced the full track list of Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was today. You can check it out below:

1. Pageturner’s Rag
2. Dance and Sing
3. Just Once in the World
4. Mariana Trench
5. One and Done
6. Pan and Broom
7. Stairwell Song
8. Persona Non Grata
9. Tilt-A-Whirl
10. Hot Car in the Sun
11. Forced Convalescence
12. To Death’s Heart (In Three Parts)
13. Calais to Dover
14. Comet Song