Bright Eyes is an American indie rock band founded by singer-songwriter and guitarist Conor Oberst.

It consists of Oberst, multi-instrumentalist and producer Mike Mogis, arranger, composer and trumpet and piano player Nate Walcott, and a rotating line-up of collaborators drawn primarily from Omaha's indie music scene.

Between 1998 and 2011, the band's albums were released through Saddle Creek Records, a Nebraska-based label founded by Justin Oberst (Conor's brother) and Mogis.

After being a founding member of Commander Venus – which disbanded in 1997 – guitarist/vocalist Conor Oberst turned to focus on his new project, Bright Eyes.

The sound of the album ranges from bleating vocals to acoustic guitar songs and techno-style synthesizer instrumentals.

According to the Saddle Creek press release, it features members of Lullaby for the Working Class, Neutral Milk Hotel, and of Montreal.

[9] Although almost all of the tracks feature a full band, "June on the West Coast" is performed with only acoustic guitar and vocals.

"Padraic My Prince" gives a dramatic fictional account of the death of his baby brother, a story with a multitude of symbolic meanings.

In November 1999, Bright Eyes released the five-song Every Day and Every Night EP, which included "Neely O'Hara" and "A Perfect Sonnet."

In 2000, Bright Eyes released Fevers and Mirrors, with new instruments such as the flute, piano, and accordion introduced into the song arrangements.

Oberst stated that, before making this record, both he and Mike Mogis had an idea for a "sort of grandiose sound" that neither could really put into words.

The decision to split the tour this way was practical as it would have been a "logistical nightmare" in terms of equipment and staff to perform songs from both albums simultaneously.

In November 2005, Bright Eyes performed "True Blue" on the children's television show Pancake Mountain.

Oberst has vocally advocated the boycotting of all Clear Channel events, venues, and radio stations, perhaps most publicly at the Shortlist Awards show at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles on October 5, 2003.

[20] Later in the year, the live album Motion Sickness was released, documenting the I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning tour.

On March 8, 2007, Oberst appeared on National Public Radio's All Songs Considered, playing a selection of tracks in his collection, as well as several from Four Winds.

In support of this album, Bright Eyes toured North America from February to May, and Europe and Japan from June to July.

[23] During an encore on May 19, 2007 at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, Oberst performed a new song with Gillian Welch and David Rawlings entitled "Man Named Truth".

[24] The song was officially released on Monsters of Folk's 2009 self-titled album, on which Oberst teams up with Jim James (of My Morning Jacket), M. Ward (of She & Him), and Mike Mogis (of Bright Eyes).

During a 7-night stint at The Town Hall in New York City, Bright Eyes welcomed the following guests on stage for special performances: Lou Reed on May 25; Ben Kweller on May 26; Jenny Lewis and Johnathan Rice on May 28; Norah Jones, Little Willie and Derrick E on May 29; Nick Zinner, Maria Taylor and Ben Gibbard on May 30, Steve Earle on May 31, and finally Ron Sexsmith and Britt Daniel on June 1.

[28][29] In a June 2009 issue of Rolling Stone, Oberst announced that he wanted to "retire" the Bright Eyes moniker, and would be making one final album with the band: "It does feel like it needs to stop at some point.

The video features the band playing in a desert with a firework rig behind them, spelling out selected lyrics as Oberst sings them.

[42] The band finished the year with a tour of Australia, performing at Harvest Festival as well as select headlining shows.

[47] NME's Luke Morgan Britton wrote of the track: "[A] dual sense of societal dystopia and inner turmoil collide and intertwine on the quietly poignant 'Persona Non Grata'... [It] sees the band maintain the sage-like, cryptic feel of their latter-day records.

[54] A cover of Elliott Smith's "St. Ides Heaven" with vocals from Bridgers was released as the second single from Letting Off the Happiness: A Companion on March 22, 2022.

[56] Regarding the album's dice-themed framing device, Oberst stated: "Life is a game of chance and a metaphorical street brawl, so that is what we are putting out there.

The warm-up shows we played earlier this week resulted in Conor losing his voice and, on the advice of doctors, we’ve made the difficult but sensible decision to prioritise rest and recuperation for the remainder of the month.