Bright Eyes and Cursive have joined forces to release a mashup of two early-aughts songs from their respective catalogs. “Recluse I Don’t Have to Love” merges “The Recluse” from Cursive’s 2003 album The Ugly Organ, and Bright Eyes’ “Lover I Don’t Have to Love” from the 2002 LP Lifted or The Story Is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground. The two Omaha, Nebraska groups released the song exclusively on Bandcamp in conjunction with National Trans Day of Visibility. All profits from the single will go toward the Poison Oak Project, Bright Eyes’ 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to advancing equity for LGBTQ+ people, with a focus on supporting the trans community. Check out “Recluse I Don’t Have to Love” below.

Recording “Recluse I Don’t Have to Love” has been a longtime inside joke between Bright Eyes and Cursive, who noted the similarities between the two songs’ lyrics and hooks years ago. Bright Eyes are currently touring behind their recent album Five Dice, All Threes. Cursive will provide support at select shows.

Revisit the 5-10-15-20 interview “The Music That Made Conor Oberst.”