Bright Eyes have announced a new EP titled Kids Table, set for release on September 26 via Dead Oceans. Comprised of eight tracks, Kids Table, is the latest project from Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, and Nate Walcott. The EP release follows Bright Eyes’ latest single “1st World Blues,” a ska-infused takedown of contemporary American capitalism, and their 2024 album Five Dice, All Threes.
Today’s announcement comes with the release of “Dyslexic Palindrome,” featuring Hurray For The Riff Raff’s Alynda Segarra, which continues a creative partnership that follows the two bands’ recent tours together and viral live duet of Bright Eyes fan-favorite, “Lua.” On “Dyslexic Palindrome,” Conor’s and Alyndra’s juxtaposing gritty and breezy vocals, coming together for a dynamic duet that examines the dark complacency of living in today’s capitalistic culture.
“Alynda Segarra is one of the most soulful people I have ever encountered,” says Conor Oberst. “Everything that passes through them is haunted by the weary ghost of American music past. I have had the good fortune of recording and performing with them on many occasions and I am always blown away by Alynda’s ability to channel what is both intangible and universal. Seemingly walking along in a second line of skeletons. Blowing on a valiant horn. I know it sounds crazy but, yet, there Alynda is. Always so very present but with one foot on the other side.”
Watch the “Dyslexic Palindrome” Visualizer Here
On Kids Table, Bright Eyes return in full force, sprinkling the EP with bons mots, wordplay, and references to everyone from William Shakespeare and Salman Rushdie to Candice Bergen, Joe Strummer and even Mrs. Peacock from Clue. Sonically, Kids Table holds true to Bright Eyes’ DNA with blood-on-the-tracks honesty as well as a haunting rendition of “Sharp Cutting Wings (Song to a Poet),” a cover of the Lucinda Williams song released the year that Oberst was born. The heart of Kids Table, “Sharp Cutting Wings (Song to a Poet),” was the first thing Oberst wanted to sing after recovering from a medical emergency in Fall of 2024 that left him battling vocal problems.
Meanwhile, landmark occasions such as sitting at the “kids table,” going to prom, trying a new SSRI and more are inscribed on the board game-inspired cover of Kids Table. And therein lies the chiaroscuro of Bright Eyes’ music, perpetually teetering between rogue optimism and pragmatic despair. Following the band’s 2024 visceral and hook-filled Five Dice, All Threes by almost exactly a year, the new EP exists as both a partner-in-crime to that album and a self-contained world all of its own.
Tracklist for Kids Table (EP):
Kids Table
Cairns (When Your Heart Belongs to Everyone)
1st World Blues
Sharp Cutting Wings (Song to a Poet)
It Always Feels Good and It Never Hurts
Dyslexic Palindrome (feat. Hurray For The Riff Raff)
Shakespeare In A Nutshell
Victory City
Bright Eyes’ high-octane, coast-to-coast North American tour picked up again yesterday in Ojai, CA, with upcoming dates around the West Coast including Vancouver, Sonoma, Las Vegas, and Seattle for Bumbershoot Festival. In November, they will tour across Asia for rare performances in Singapore, Osaka and Tokyo. The tour – which kicked off in January and included summer shows in the UK and Europe – saw the launch of the band’s 501(c)(3) non-profit The Poison Oak Project, dedicated to advancing equity for LGBTQ+ people, with a particular focus on supporting the trans community, by raising money for LGBTQ+ organizations both nationally and locally in each city along their tour route. All tour dates can be found below.
In May, Bright Eyes celebrated the 25th anniversary of their beloved 2000 album Fevers & Mirrors with a powerful new recording of the album’s plaintive closing track “A Song To Pass The Time,” available exclusively on Bandcamp. Bright Eyes also teamed up with longtime friends and collaborators Cursive to release “Recluse I Don’t Have to Love,” a mashup of their modern classic fan favorites “Lover I Don’t Have To Love” (by Bright Eyes) and “The Recluse” (by Cursive). The mashup was released on National Trans Day of Visibility, with all profits going to The Poison Oak Project.
Bright Eyes on Tour
Wednesday, Aug 27 – Sonoma, CA – Gundlach Bundschu Winery *
Thursday, Aug 28 – Forest Grove, OR – McMenamins Grand Lodge *
Friday, Aug 29 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre *
Saturday, Aug 30 – Seattle, WA – Bumbershoot Festival
Monday, Sep 1 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Hall *^
Tuesday, Sep 2 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot *
Wednesday, Sep 3 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues Las Vegas *
Thursday, Nov 27 – Singapore, Singapore – Capitol Theatre @ 7:00 PM
Wednesday, Dec 3 – Naniwa Ku, Osaka – Yogibo META VALLEY
Thursday, Dec 4 – Minato City, Tōkyō-to – EX THEATER ROPPONGI
* w/ Saintseneca
^ w/ Doug Martsch