User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 22 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 22
  2. Negative: 3 out of 22
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  1. Sep 14, 2020
    8
    9.6/12
    This is a great album and the first I've heard by Bright Eyes. I knew of Oberst through Phoebe Bridgers but found this album through NPR's Listening Party. I gotta say. There's not a dull moment in this album. It's strange, fun, and pleasant. I feel like I'm listening to pop but feel like I'm listening to more at the same time. There's excellent production quality and
    9.6/12
    This is a great album and the first I've heard by Bright Eyes. I knew of Oberst through Phoebe Bridgers but found this album through NPR's Listening Party. I gotta say. There's not a dull moment in this album. It's strange, fun, and pleasant. I feel like I'm listening to pop but feel like I'm listening to more at the same time. There's excellent production quality and experimentation that makes the whole album feel like a piece of artwork.

    ALBUM ARTWORK: The artwork is gorgeous. I love the red, green, and black that intersects here. It appears to be a painting that creates a sort of optical illusion. It either diverges into the center to create a vanishing point or is a leafy vine with an orb on the end, draped down in the middle. Regardless of what the picture actually is, I adore the visual and wonder it creates for me.
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  2. Sep 5, 2020
    10
    Perfect comeback though Conor’s voice sounds a bit different. Tilt-A-Whirl and Comet Song are my personal favourites.
  3. Aug 30, 2020
    10
    Best Conor Oberst record since I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning. A top-5 Bright Eyes record, possibly higher.
  4. Aug 22, 2020
    10
    A Welcome return from a 10 year Hiatus, Bright Eyes still shines just as bright. Grand scale instrumentals similar to "Cassadaga" with the tender and honest songwriting off of Conor's "Ruminations" album create a perfect combination of emotion and explosive power. The album is best experienced in a single sitting and never misses a beat. A message of hope despite loss prevails throughoutA Welcome return from a 10 year Hiatus, Bright Eyes still shines just as bright. Grand scale instrumentals similar to "Cassadaga" with the tender and honest songwriting off of Conor's "Ruminations" album create a perfect combination of emotion and explosive power. The album is best experienced in a single sitting and never misses a beat. A message of hope despite loss prevails throughout the album, whether from Conor's allusions to his divorce and brother's death or to the mantra to "dance on through", each word lands with a crushing sense of weight and sadness. complex harmonic inclusions by the Orchestral arrangements by Nate Walcott add depth and colour to the compositions and Mike's production skills and splicing of field recordings brings a unity to all the tracks. a wonderful album for both old fans and new alike. The world yearned for bright eyes in these trying times, and they delivered the goods. Expand
  5. Aug 21, 2020
    10
    By god they’re back. It’s a great album. Not being a teen anymore, you get nervous that you won’t feel the angst anymore. Obviously Conor is 40, so he hasn’t been singing for teens for 20 years. However it’s nice to have something to work with my adult angst as well.
  6. Aug 21, 2020
    10
    Bright Eyes has always had an uncanny ability to release records when I needed them most. In 20 years I've never been disappointed. This one is no exception. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. Beautiful record.
  7. JJP
    Aug 21, 2020
    9
    It's an honest-to-goodness Bright Eyes Album in 2020. Fits in the discog perfectly.
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 24 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 24
  2. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Sep 25, 2020
    80
    Bright Eyes may not technically be emo, but they are transcendently expressive, beatifically melancholic. Down in the Weeds is just the statement of grounding that we need as a respite from the churning chaos around us.
  2. 90
    As talented as Oberst is on his own, his symbiotic relationship with the other members of Bright Eyes makes it easily Oberst’s best project and one I hope continues on for the foreseeable future.
  3. Aug 27, 2020
    80
    At once bleak, grey and obsessed with morbidity, and lush, blooming and gorgeous, it’s great to have them back.