Photo credit: Jenna Houchin

Bright Eyes have officially announced a new EP titled Kids Table, set for release on September 26 via Dead Oceans. Featuring eight tracks, the project marks the latest release from long-time collaborators Conor Oberst, Mike Mogis and Nate Walcott. This upcoming EP follows closely behind the band’s recently released single “1st World Blues” and their 2024 album Five Dice, All Threes.

The announcement arrives alongside the release of the EP’s standout track, “Dyslexic Palindrome,” featuring Alynda Segarra of Hurray For The Riff Raff. This continues the bands’ recent collaboration after touring together and performing a viral duet of Bright Eyes’ classic “Lua.” On this track, Oberst and Segarra’s vocal styles blend to explore themes of passive disillusionment.

“Alynda Segarra is one of the most soulful people I have ever encountered,” Oberst says. “Everything that passes through them is haunted by the weary ghost of American music past… Always so very present but with one foot on the other side.”

The EP includes references to Shakespeare, Salman Rushdie and even characters from Clue, while also offering a poignant cover of Lucinda Williams’ “Sharp Cutting Wings (Song to a Poet),” which is a song Oberst chose to sing following a serious vocal health scare in late 2024.

The band resumed their North American tour yesterday in Ojai, CA, with shows scheduled in cities like Vancouver, Seattle and Las Vegas. In November and December, they’ll head to Asia for rare performances in Singapore, Osaka and Tokyo. The tour also continues to support The Poison Oak Project, their non-profit focused on LGBTQ+ equity, especially trans rights.

The full tracklist for Kids Table includes:

1. Kids Table

2. Cairns (When Your Heart Belongs to Everyone)

3. 1st World Blues

4. Sharp Cutting Wings (Song to a Poet)

5. It Always Feels Good and It Never Hurts

6. Dyslexic Palindrome (feat. Hurray For The Riff Raff)

7. Shakespeare In A Nutshell

8. Victory City

Fans can pre-save the EP now and catch Bright Eyes live during the remaining 2025 tour dates.