The Gaslight Anthem Inject Some Fuel and Fire Into “Ocean Eyes” by Billie Eilish

Gaslight Anthem will cover a Billie Eilish smash and give one of his own deep classics a new spin on his upcoming EP, History Books — Short Storiesis released this Friday March 22nd.

The four-piece will be anchored by a rendition of Eilish's landmark hit “Ocean Eyes,” which frontman Brian Fallon learned about from his daughter. “I was driving my daughter to school and she played it for me on the way and I really got the song,” he said in a statement. “Then one day we were discussing ideas for a cover with our friends and I said, wouldn't it be cool to do a heavier version of 'Ocean Eyes'? I tried it and everyone loved the idea.”

(The full version isn't out yet, but you can check out a snippet in an EP teaser shared by Gaslight Anthem.)

Along with “Ocean Eyes”, Short stories will boast an expanded version of “Blue Jeans & White T-Shirts,” a favorite from Gaslight's 2008 EP Anthem, Señor and the Queen. There will also be new acoustic recordings of tracks from the 2023 album, History booksincluding title and “Positive Charge”.

The Short stories The EP comes ahead of Gaslight Anthem's extensive summer tour, which kicks off July 26 in Denver and wraps up September 15 with a set at the Sea.Hear.Now festival in Asbury Park, New Jersey. During their headline run, Gaslight Anthem will be supported by Joyce Manor, Dirty Nil and Pinkshift on select dates.

History bookswhich arrived last October, marked Gaslight Anthem's first new album in nearly 10 years, following 2014's Hurt (the band announced a hiatus in 2015). The band announced their comeback with “Positive Charge,” then released the studio version of the title track, which featured vocals from fellow New Jersey rock star Bruce Springsteen.