A massive Bright Eyes project has been underway, and is finally coming to the surface throughout this year. Today, the band detailed the extensive reissuing of all nine of their studio records as a Companion series, which will see the release of 54 new recordings.
The re-recording project will release via Dead Oceans, and it will include additional recordings created by Bright Eyes at their own ARC Studios in Omaha, Nebraska. Each reissue will be accompanied by a Companion EP of five new Bright Eyes recordings of tracks from the original release and one cover that felt of “the era” to the band while recording the original. Receiving the reissue treatment first are the band’s first three records—A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997 (1998), Letting Off The Happiness (1998), and Fevers and Mirrors (2000). All three reissued records (available for pre-order now) are out on May 27, and you can watch the band’s announcement trailer for the series now.
“It’s a meaningful way to connect with the past that doesn’t feel totally nostalgic and self-indulgent,” Conor Oberst said of the Companion series. “We are taking these songs and making them interesting to us all over again. I like that. I like a challenge. I like to be forced to do something that’s slightly hard, just to see if we can.”
Lucky enough for eager Bright Eyes fans—today, the band released three of the Companion series recordings: “Falling Out of Love At This Volume,” “Contrast And Compare” (featuring Waxahatchee), “Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh” (featuring Phoebe Bridgers).
In addition to that, Bright Eyes is embarking on an extensive tour throughout the U.S., UK, and Europe. Alex G is scheduled to open for the band, and they’ll kick off on March 23 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Bright Eyes Companion EPs Track Lists
A Collection of Songs Written and Recorded 1995-1997: A Companion
1) “Driving Fast Through A Big City At Night”
2) “Solid Jackson”
3) “A Celebration Upon Completion”
4) “Falling Out of Love At This Volume”
5) “Exaltation On A Cool Kitchen Floor”
6) “Double Joe” (Simon Joyner cover)
Letting Off The Happiness: A Companion
1) “The Difference In The Shades”
2) “The City Has Sex (feat. Waxahatchee)”
3) “Contrast And Compare (feat. Waxahatchee)”
4) “Kathy With A K’s Song (feat. M Ward)”
5) “St. Ides Heaven (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)” (Elliott Smith cover)
6) “June On The West Coast (feat. Becky Stark)”
Fevers and Mirrors: A Companion
1) “Haligh, Haligh, A Lie, Haligh (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)”
2) “A Scale, A Mirror, And Those Indifferent Clocks (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)”
3) “Arienette”
4) “Hypnotist (Song for Daniel H)” (Lullaby For The Working Class cover)
5) “When The Curious Girl Realizes She Is Under Glass (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)”
6) “A Spindle, A Darkness, A Fever, And A Necklace (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)”
Bright Eyes Tour Dates
03-23 St. Paul, MN – Palace Theatre
03-24 Milwaukee, WI – The Riverside Theater
03-25 Madison, WI – The Sylvee
03-26 Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre
03-27 Detroit, MI – The Cathedral Theatre at the Masonic
03-29 Indianapolis, IN – Egyptian Room
03-30 St. Louis, MO – The Pageant
03-31 Louisville, KY – Paristown Hall
04-01 Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium
04-02 Cleveland, OH – Agora Theatre
04-03 Columbus, OH – Express Live!
04-05 Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE
04-06 Port Chester, NY – Capitol Theatre
04-07 Boston, MA – Roadrunner
04-08 Philadelphia, PA – The Met
04-09 Washington, D.C. – The Anthem
04-10 Norfolk, VA – The NorVa
05-19 Oklahoma City, OK – The Jones Assembly
05-20 Dallas, TX – The Factory in Deep Ellum
05-21 Austin, TX – ACL Live at the Moody Theater
05-22 Houston, TX – The Lawn at White Oak Music Hall
05-23 New Orleans, LA – Orpheum Theater
05-25 Charleston, SC – Charleston Music Hall
05-26 Orlando, FL – Hard Rock Live
05-27 Miami Beach, FL – Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater
05-28 St Augustine, FL – St. Augustine Amphitheatre
05-29 Atlanta, GA – The Eastern
05-31 Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore Charlotte
06-01 Cincinatti, OH – Brady Music Center *
06-02 Richmond, VA – Brown’s Island *
06-03 Ashbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony Summerstage *
06-04 New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall *
06-05 Lafayette, NY – Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards *
06-15 Boise, ID – Knitting Factory
06-16 Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
06-17 Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
06-18 Troutdale, OR – McMenamin’s Edgefield Amphitheatre
06-20 San Francisco, CA – The Masonic
06-23 Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre
06-24 San Diego, CA – Soma
06-25 Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren
06-28 Salt Lake City, UT – The Union
06-30 Denver, CO – The Mission Ballroom
07-01 Kansas City, MO – Uptown Theater
07-02 Omaha, NE – The Admiral
07-03 Omaha, NE – The Admiral
08-12 Oslo, Norway – Øyafestivalen 2022
08-14 Copenhagen, Denmark – Vega
08-16 Hamburg, Germany – Fabrik
08-17 Prague, Czech Republic – Lucerna Music Bar
08-19 Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom
08-20 Frankfurt, Germany – Batschkapp
08-22 Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
08-23 Cologne, Germany – Carlswerk Victoria
08-25 Vienna, Austria – Arena Open Air
08-26 Munich, Germany – Muffathalle
08-27 Zurich, Switzerland – X-Tra
08-30 London, England – Eventim Apollo
08-31 Manchester, England – O2 Apollo
09-01 Dublin, Ireland – Vicar Street
09-05 Birmingham, England – O2 Institute Birmingham
09-06 Glasgow, Scotland – Barrowland
* Alex G supporting
