Side projects are not necessarily a commodity in the music world these days — if you’ve read this site before, you might have heard us talking about boygenius once or twice. But Clear Eyes Fanzine, the new collaborative side project from The Wonder Years’ Dan Campbell and The Early November’s Ace Enders, might be the first side project of its kind.
Formed out of a mutual love and appreciation for the excellent early-2000s television show Friday Night Lights and recorded in spurts among hectic touring and recording schedules, the six songs on the duo’s debut EP Season One, Episodes 1-6 are a deep dive into the show and its characters. More than just a standard release, it becomes a musical fanzine, exploring untold stories and taking on the complex emotional stories of the show’s first season.
“Ace and I have been talking about this project for years. The first time the two of us worked together on a record, we bonded over our love of FNL, often quoting it before vocal takes.” Campbell explained in a statement. “We’re both so excited that this thing finally, actually exists, and we hope fans of the show and fans of our music appreciate this little labor of love that we built.”
Season One, Episodes 1-6 is available to stream exclusively on Bandcamp here, and rare, limited-print physical copies are available here as part of a bundle that also includes a physical lyric and photo zine, plus a t-shirt or sweatshirt.
