New from Conor Oberst and Bright Eyes: Stream ‘One and Done,’ Featuring Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers on Bass

Over the past few weeks, celebrated indie/rock band Bright Eyes has been previewing an as-yet-untitled new album, the tenth from the Conor Oberst-fronted group and first since 2011’s The People’s Key.

Recent weeks have seen the long-dormant band release a pair of tracks into the wild, and now a third preview of the upcoming LP has made its way online. Titled “One and Done,” the track glides along to an orchestral arrangement from Nathaniel Walcott, with Jon Theodore (the Mars Volta, Queens of the Stone Age) on drums, accompanied by Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea.

If the track sounds a bit … uneasy, that’s by deign:

Written and recorded before COVID-19, the song reflects a resignation in the singer’s mind as to what seems like the final days of a civilization and the rapid disintegration of one’s long held worldview.

“One and done” was mixed by Mike Mogis, who also mixed the upcoming Phoebe Bridgers album Punisher — and that record also involves Oberst on a few tracks and Wolcott on horn duty.

Here’s another recent song from Bright Eyes, “Forced Convalescence”:

And here’s “Persona Non Grata”:

Stay tuned for more from Bright Eyes. The pandemic forced the band to postpone 2020 gigs until 2021, and the group has yet to officially detail the anticipated new album.