Conor Oberst has mostly used his punk side project Desparecidos as a musical vehicle to discuss politics, but he hasn't entirely shied away from the topic with Bright Eyes; he memorably criticized George W. Bush on the 2005 single "When the President Talks to God." Speaking to The Times, though, Conor says he won't be talking about Donald Trump on Bright Eyes' upcoming first album in nine years, Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was.
"Trump is a different animal from Bush," Conor said. "Bush had an ideology and the move to war was easy to protest. But comedians say it’s hard to satirise Trump because he’s the most ridiculous version of himself to start with and I find the same with writing. How do you approach someone just so diabolical and insane?"