Conor Oberst has been busy lately. Last year Bright Eyes returned with their latest LP Five Dice, All Threes, not long after the band reissued all nine of their albums each with companion EPs. Earlier this year, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Fevers And Mirrors, Bright Eyes shared a re-recorded, piano-fied version of its closing track "A Song To Pass The Time." (Also, I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning and Digital Ash In A Digital Urn both turned 20.) Now Oberst, Mike Mogis, and Nate Walcott are back with a brand-new Bright Eyes song called "1st World Blues."
Bright Eyes teased "1st World Blues" on social media a few days ago with an Instagram photo of a McDonald's highway sign reading "ska is back." The track is, indeed, by far the most ska-sounding song Bright Eyes have ever released, complete with the requisite horns and accentuated upbeats. It's a goofy interpretation of navigating life under late-stage capitalism, with lots of mall store name-drops woven between moments of existentialism: "I was talkin' crazy down at Old Navy/ I was feeling despondent at Hot Topic." The track's thesis comes in the group-sung chorus: "You're just a tool that's never gonna get used."
“‘1st World Blues’ is an homage to ska in all its waves,” Bright Eyes explain in a press release. “From Desmond Decker to Tim Armstrong, we’re just happy to add our track to the bin. The video is inspired by NYC 90s hip hop, which like ska, has a long tradition of unifying people & using celebratory music to convey subversive political themes. To be played loud. Windows down. Summertime.”
The video for "1st World Blues" was directed by Jared Sherbert, and co-produced by Matt Maginn from Bright Eyes tourmates Cursive. Its cast features Bright Eyes along with a bunch of pals including the So So Glos' Alex Orange Drink, who co-wrote the song according to the Spotify credits. Watch it below.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=lxfd9MF601Y
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMLEqy4xu_g/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading
