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Apr 21, 2020 By Christopher Roberts Photography by Shawn Brackbill Bright Eyes

Bright Eyes (Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis, and Nathaniel Walcott) have shared a new song, “Forced Convalescence.” It is said to be the second single from a yet-to-be-announced new album and follows “Persona Non Grata,” a new song the band shared in March that was their first new song in nine years. Listen to “Forced Convalescence” below (it features Flea on bass) via a lyric video.

The band previously announced that they had signed to Dead Oceans and had been recording, with intentions to release new music this year. They also previously announced a world tour (although those tour dates are now being “reassessed” due to COVID-19). In January they also shared a teaser video featuring them recording in the studio with an orchestra.

The credits for “Forced Convalescence” are as follows: Conor Oberst (vocal), Nathaniel Walcott (piano, mellotron, synthesizers, harpsichord, choir arrangement), Mike Mogis (electric guitar), Flea (bass), Jon Theodore (drums, percussion), and Kip Skitter (percussion). The song’s choir features: Jason McGee (conductor), James Connor, Quishima Dixon, Natalie Ganther, Anthony Johnson, Edward Lawson, Jennifer Lee, Sharetta Morgan-Harmon, and Marquee Perkins. Bright Eyes produced “Forced Convalescence,” which was engineered by Michael Harris and Steve Churchyard (with assistance by Chris Cerullo and Chandler Harrod). Mike Mogis mixed the song and it was mastered by Bob Ludwig. Conor Oberst and Nathaniel Walcott wrote “Forced Convalescence.”

While Oberst has kept busy in the last decade with solo and collaborative projects (such as last year’s Better Oblivion Community Center duo with Phoebe Bridgers), the band with which he made his name have not released an album since 2011’s The People’s Key.

In a previous press release Dead Oceans co-founder Phil Waldorf had this to say about signing the band: “Bright Eyes is not just a formative artist for me personally, but for countless people who work at Dead Oceans. To get to work with a band that is part of our own origin stories in falling in love with music is the rarest of privileges. We are thrilled to be part of another great chapter in Bright Eyes enduring legacy.”

Since Bright Eyes went on hiatus, Mogis has kept busy as a producer and Walcott has worked as a film composer. Oberst’s punk band Desaparecidos also reformed for 2015’s Payola.

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