The Ten Stories Weaved Throughout Better Oblivion Community Center’s Debut Album

By Kayla Harper

Better Oblivion Community Center is made up of Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers, both who have their own solo projects and respective bands, Bright Eyes and Boygenius. Led by drums and acoustic guitars, the self-titled debut album does not stray far from the indie rock and hints of emo and alternative-folk-rock genres found in their other projects.  Its lyrics explore deeper concepts of life, love, loss and depression through captivatingly detailed and sometimes simple imagery; surprising, but mundane metaphors; and accessible allusions.

Despite not knowing what we were in for, Better Oblivion Community Center sounds like what you’d expect from a collaboration between the two and it’s not the first time they have collaborated on musical projects either.  Oberst made an appearance on Bridger’s debut album, Stranger In The Alps, singing on the track, “Would You Rather”.

Every track on the album, with the exception of “Dominos” was written by Bridger’s and Oberst, with each of them singing on each track.  The softness of Bridger’s voice compliments the roughness of Oberst’s perfectly as the album flows from one track to the next, one cohesive collection of vulnerable, mundane stories.

01. Didn’t Know What I Was In For

Consisting of ten tracks, each is meant to tell a different story, with the opening track, “I Didn’t Know What I Was In For” being about “slacktivism”. Bridgers explains to Reverse The Verse, “You know, you go to a charity run and you feel very good about yourself and then you don’t think about other people for, like, six months” (2022).  “Didn’t Know What I Was In For” also introduces us to the topic of institutionalization, referenced by the band name and title, Better Oblivion Community Center, but also becomes a recurring theme on the rest of the album.

02. Sleepwalkin’

The beat picks up as a simplistic drum beat, fingerstyle acoustic guitar and Oberst’s voice introduce listeners to the second track, “Sleepwalkin’”, picking up more at the chorus before settling back down for the second verse sung by Bridgers.  This tempo change makes it an interesting listen, captivating listeners and going along with the up and down mood in the song.  The song seems to be back and forth between trying to be happy and questioning if you’re actually happy while doing the things that should make you feel that way, “Is this having fun? Or is it just because?” By Bridgers’s verse and the bridge it seems to expand this feeling to a relationship in which the flame’s burnt out.

03. Dylan Thomas

Oberst explains the song as a “happy accident” stating it “was one of the ones that came the easiest [to write]”.  Bridgers further explains they “did not expect to write another song”, but it just happened naturally.  “Dylan Thomas” alludes to the famous poet, who died at 39 years old.  The verses seem to reference his primarily political poetry as they sing about distrust in American politics and uncertainty, further expanding this to their own self-destructive and sometimes confirmative coping mechanisms.  The outro features an electric guitar soaring over the upbeat drums and acoustic guitar which led the majority of the track.

04. Service Road

Track four slows down again, as Oberst opens the track singing about his brother who died at 42, he explains to Vice Magazine, “He basically fucking drank himself to death” (2017).  “Service Road” is primarily sung by Oberst, with Bridgers only singing back-up vocals or certain lines.  The song seems to be an exploration of the difficult, up and down emotions Oberst experienced at the hands of his brother’s alcoholism and death. Throughout the lyrics is anger, sadness, and letting go: “Thought that he was doing better, a notice of final eviction, he just laughs, always had a sense of humor, well, all those threats he made, can’t walk them back.”

05. Exception To The Rule

 Picking up from the last track as the two sing, “You need an occupation to warrant a vacation” going on to sing, “there’s always an exemption, always an exception to the rule” the fifth track, marking the halfway point, seems to explore ideas of escapism or avoidance: “I wanted to avoid it, live out in the forest.”  However, with a twist of fate, it seems the narrator of the song will be forced to confront what they’re avoiding regardless of how hard they try not to, “the street just like a magnet, mends my broken habits and makes a fool of me.”  “Exception To The Rule” is the first track on the record where we hear a synth-esque keyboard making a more prominent presence in the production.

06. Chesapeake

The sixth track criticizes the music industry as the pair explain its meaning to FaceCulture with Bridgers stating, “you see artists you think are great fall for no reason, and people you think suck get huge for no reason” and Oberst further explaining, “people can like what they like, but sometimes I’m shocked at what gets that treatment versus what I like” (2019).  This idea is clear in the description of a child’s first concert experience in the first verse and chorus of the song. However in the second verse they sing, “My hero plays to no one, in a parking lot, even though there’s no one around, he broke a leg and the house came down” further expanding upon this idea.

07. My City 

The seventh track starts with a catchy guitar riff that carries through the entire song.  A personal favourite, it seems to explore conflicting emotions towards one’s hometown, which could also be expanding to metaphorically represent a person or relationship, “This town is a depot, I come and go, This town is my city.”  A personal favourite on the album, the track is reminiscent of Boygenius’s The Record, which makes sense considering Bridgers is involved in both projects.  A track full of self-reflection and blunt honesty as it navigates the emotional conflict present in the narrator’s approach to their city, or whatever it may metaphorically represent: “wear a smile like it’s camouflage…risk it all on the game of chance chasing love like an ambulance.”

08. Forest Lawn

“Forest Lawn” opens with Oberst singing the first verse and chorus before Bridgers joins him for the rest of the song in the second verse.  It seems to explore either the actual death of a friend, or who is just not present in their life anymore: “since you went underground, I’ve wanted to track you down, since you went underground, I’ve wanted to dig you out”.  Throughout its lyrics and overall melancholy tone, “Forest Lawn” evokes a loss of innocence and a nostalgic yearning for what once was.

09. Big Black Heart 

Another personal favourite, it reminds me of Bridgers’s sophomore album, Punisher, and perhaps this is because much of the themes presented in this song she would delve into further on that album.  “Big Black Heart” talks about a relationship in which mutual feelings do not exist, with the narrator being further invested in the relationship than their partner “Your big heart is black, I’d ask you to cross it but you’d never do it, but then again you stopped in the middle of the street just to kiss me.” Ultimately, the song ends with the singer realizing they’ll have to move on.

10. Dominos 

The final track, “Dominos” is a cover of Taylor Hollingsworth’s track of the same name.  It talks about battling depression, with topics of drug abuse, suicide, and contemplating faith.  The track is primarily sung by Oberst, with Bridgers’s only singing back-ups until the third verse.  Their cover of “Dominos” brings the album to a comforting and slightly startling close with the lines, “if you’re not feeling ready, there’s always tomorrow” which could be interpreted in various ways within the context of the song.

As a whole, Better Oblivion Community Center is a cohesive body of work, flowing from each track to the next.   Highlighting both musicians’ talents, it’s obvious that despite writing similar music, they both had something unique to bring to the table in the creation of this album.  With a broad range of topics discussed throughout the ten track’s vulnerable lyrics and startling imagery, it is an underrated gem in the world of indie rock.