Download the Gentleman's Pact EP
This is not unlike Mr. Oberst's Four Winds EP released prior to his last album, though it opens on that signature junky warble before a hyper-produced backup band kills any hope that we're going anywhere new here. The second track opens much “jammier,” if not on a downright psychedelic note before quickly pulling in any seemingly unbridled tendencies and marching obediently on through the three other tracks of mature adult-contemporary folk rock. If you weren't sure that his last LP Cassadaga really marked a resolute turn away from the lo-fi meanderings of Oberst's work as a younger man, then maybe Gentleman's Pact will help nail the coffin for you.
With Bright Eyes back-burnered, Oberst's gotten busy proving himself to a wider audience of old people– those folks with less of a tolerance for kids singing too close to the mic with their amps jacked up, and less of a patience for those same kids whining about their shitty lives. You might miss the old Connor, but your parents can finally stand him.
Here's the second track on the EP:
Connor Oberst, “Synesthete Song”
