Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers just dropped an album as Better Oblivion Community Center
Phoebe Bridgers plays nice with others, apparently. The rising songwriter followed her blissful, heartrending 2017 debut, Stranger In The Alps, by teaming with Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker for a collaborative EP as boygenius. Now, the Pasadena singer’s linked up with Conor Oberst for a new project, Better Oblivion Community Center, and, wouldn’t you know it, it’s out digitally now. A physical release will follow on February 22.
For now, however, you can stream it below.
The duo began teasing the project on Wednesday, with Bridgers tweeting out a phone number that led callers to a weird answering machine message. Oberst, too, has been retweeting the @better_oblivion Twitter account, which has been hyping a performance on tonight’s episode of Colbert alongside photos of some hilarious pamphlets. There’s a playfulness to the whole endeavor—the pamphlets promise “relaxation redefined” and list “pineal gland expression” and a “macrodosing bingo night” among the center’s amenities.
Fans of the pair’s “Would You Rather,” which appears on Stranger In The Alps, should be pleased with the release. A blend of hushed acoustic duets and rowdier, more robust arrangements, the album features contributions from Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Nick Zinner, Autolux’s Carla Azar, and Dawes’ Wylie Gelber and Griffin Goldsmith, as well as Christian Lee Hutson and Anna Butterss, who’ve both backed up Bridgers on tour.
Speaking of touring, the duo will traverse the country in March and April. Per the aforementioned answering machine message, those details should drop sometime next week.
See their lively Colbert performance of “Dylan Thomas” below.