Kids Table

In 2024, Bright Eyes’ inimitable figurehead Conor Oberst lent his distinctively black-and-blue vocals to “The World is Dangerous,” a dusky and ruminative tune from Alynda Segarra’s eighth album as Hurray for the Riff Raff, *The Past is Still Alive*. Clearly, the collab rubbed off on Oberst, whose EP *Kids Table*—a follow-up to 2024’s Bright Eyes album *Five Dice, All Threes*—finds him creatively melding with Segarra directly (the languid, slide guitar-laden, and exquisitely Bright Eyes-y “Dyslexic Palindrome”) while taking a seeming inspiration from their own folk-rock travelogues. With lyrical invectives against hipsters, Ronald Reagan, and various clothing retailers, “1st World Blues” has a first-wave ska feel that makes you think, if only for a second, that Oberst has busted out a porkpie hat and two-tone suit in the studio. Meanwhile, the string-laden opening title track offers a jauntier spin on Bright Eyes’ grandiose 2020s work, showcasing a project that is still constantly evolving even as its leader’s legend continues to grow.

Conor Oberst and co.’s latest release feels shackled to nostalgia. Its songs rely on trite metaphors and obvious rhymes, but are briefly enlivened by collaborators, including Hurray for the Riff Raff.