Better Oblivion Community Center (album)

Bridgers and Oberst wrote and recorded the album in secret in Los Angeles in mid- to late 2018.[4]

The album is a loose concept album about the Better Oblivion Community Center, a fictional dystopian wellness facility.[5]

The album had an elaborate rollout featuring cryptic brochures and a telephone hotline.[5] They performed "Dylan Thomas" on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on January 23, 2019.[6] The album was surprise released the next day.

On January 29, 2019, the band announced their initial concert tour of the United States and Europe along with releasing a music video for their initial single, "Dylan Thomas", directed by Michelle Zauner a.k.a. Japanese Breakfast.[7]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.6/10[8]
Metacritic	78/100[9]
Review scores
Source	Rating
The 405	7.5/10[10]
Clash	8/10[11]
Consequence of Sound	B[12]
DIY	[13]
Exclaim!	8/10[14]
The Guardian	[15]
The Line of Best Fit	8/10[16]
NME	[17]
Pitchfork	7.7/10[5]
Rolling Stone	[18]

Better Oblivion Community Center has received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 78, based on 24 reviews.[9]

Writing for Rolling Stone, Will Hermes said, "The duo harmonize beautifully, Oberst's voice often just a brooding floorboard creak behind Bridgers' brightly bloodshot confidences".[18] David Sackllah of Under the Radar said, "This is a cohesive, creative, and multi-faceted record that will over-joy fans of both artists while offering the spark of magic that so rarely comes with these kinds of collaborations."[19] Sam Walker-Smart of Clash praised the album, stating "its depth, brave sonic choices and chemistry make for a near perfect record. Rather than sticking purely with the sad acoustic vibes, the album effortlessly blends country, electro elements and alt-rock with ease. It's as if the LP was simultaneously recorded in 2018, 2007, and 1993, a tonal greatest hits of hard-hitting emotion and fist-pumping fun."[11] Sarah Murphy of Exclaim! gave the album 8/10, stating "The best parts of the album... are the moments where it doesn't sound exactly like anything either artist has released before."[14]

• Phoebe Bridgers - Vocals (1-10), Guitar (1,2,3,4,6,7,8), Baritone Guitar (9,10), Electric Piano (2)
• Conor Oberst - Vocals (1-10), Guitar (1,2,4,7,8,9), Baritone Guitar (3), Piano (4,10), Keyboards (5), Whirly Tube (7)
• Carla Azar - Drums (1,3,5,10), Percussion (1,10)
• Anna Butterss - Bass (3,5), Upright Bass (10)
• John Congleton - Synthesizer (3)
• Wylie Gelber - Bass (2,4,7,8,9)
• Griffin Goldsmith - Drums (2,4,7,8,9), Percussion (2,4,7,8,9)
• Taylor Hollingsworth - Sampled Voice (10)
• Christian Lee Hutson - Guitar (6,8), EBow (1), Pocket Piano (6), Tambourine (3)
• Andy LeMaster - Bass (1), Pocket Piano (5), Mellotron (5), Synthesizer (1,5,6), Samples (10), Programming (5)
• Marshall Vore - Percussion (9)
• Nathaniel Walcott - Synthesizer (6)
• Nick White - Keyboards (2)
• Nick Zinner - Guitar (3,10)