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Bright Eyes have returned with their first album in four years. Five Dice, All Threes is slated for release on Sept. 20.
Cat Power,the National’sMatt Berninger,andthe So So Glos’Alex Orange Drink join Bright Eyes’ members Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, and Nate Walcott on their upcoming 10th studio album.
Alongside the album announcement, the band shared the LP’s lead single, “Bells and Whistles,” and music video for the track, which features them rocking on stage, a magical photo booth sprouting show attendees, and a bar fight. The Josh Boone-directed video was filmed in the band’s hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.
“This is a song about the many little details in life that can seem insignificant or frivolous or temporary at the time but eventually end up forming your destiny. And it’s also kind of a whistle while you work scenario,” said Oberst in a statement about the track.
The new song is billed as “a rollicking, anthemic bop that gallavants from N.Y. to L.A., its lacerating lyrics referencing Banksy, Princess Diana, the Mets, Silverlake stalwart bar Edendale, music biz pitfalls, and Kevin Costner’s greatest film,” per a press release.
Bright Eyes will also embark on a tour in support of their new project, kicking it off in New York on Sept. 19 and making stops in Oakland, Chicago, Omaha, Oakland, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas before heading to Europe in November. Their trek will include headlining slots at Riot FestandBest Friends Forever Festivals.
Five Dice, All Threes is the follow-up toDown In the Weeds, Where the World Once Was. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2020 about their last album, Oberst reflected on his own mortality and creativity. “I really do think so much of it is staying young at heart and keeping that zest for life. Once you lose that, you grow old really fast,” he said. “So for me, it’s a constant concern just to make sure I don’t slip into some super-depressive, cynical mindset. And part of that’s being around younger people, or just different people, and trying to keep an open mind. There’s nothing more annoying than some old, jaded rock guy that thinks they’ve seen it all. I never want to be that.”
Five Dice, All ThreesTrack List
1. “Five Dice”
2. “Bells and Whistles”
3. “El Capitan”
4. “Bas Jan Ader”
5. “Tiny Suicides”
6. “All Threes”
7. “Rainbow Overpass”
8. “Hate”
9. “Real Feel 105°”
10. “Spun Out”
11. “Trains Still Run on Time”
12. “The Time I Have Left”
13. “Tin Soldier Boy”
