Pop band Bleachers released its highly anticipated self-titled album on March 8 after a three-year hiatus from its third released album, “Take the Sadness out of Saturday Night.” Lead singer Jack Antonoff has produced many albums for Grammy-winning and nominated artists such as Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift and Lorde. Despite his ever-present nature in pop, Antonoff proves he is not afraid to experiment with captivating instrumentals and distinctive raspy vocals on “Bleachers.”
In the album, the band describes modern experiences through contrasting ‘80s musicality, effectively highlighting the discrepancies between the new and the old. Antonoff delves deep into the decline of modern society, fear of lost youth and being unable to keep up with change. The album starts fast-paced, with the synthetic keyboard and hauntingly beautiful violin runs from “I’m Right On Time” setting an introspective tone. The song touches on Antonoff’s past childhood and how he feels overwhelmed by life moving too fast, especially when he sings “My mind mirrors, don’t know what is and what’s reflection / Future’s past, I’m right on time.”
The second track, “Modern Girl,” steps away from this theme briefly and describes a night out in town, serving as an ode to their youth. Bleachers utilizes a variety of mid-’90s rock riffs with a playful combination of saxophone, acoustic guitar and drums, emulating the late Springsteen era. Antonoff and a fleeting feature from Lana Del Rey reference a longing to re-experience youthful memories in “Alma Mater,” evoking bittersweet nostalgia. Almost psychedelic instrumentals, wavering synths and a soft bass line add to this reminiscent experience.
After “Modern Girl,” Bleachers swiftly moves on to one of the heaviest songs on the album, “Jesus is Dead.” The song weighs on a sense of hopelessness in the fast-paced nature of the world around Antonoff. He nostalgically references New York culture while criticizing how quickly the momentous ‘90s were forgotten. Smooth and soft vocals along with steady guitar and drum support embrace this era once more. The chorus confirms Antonoff’s reluctance to change for the world around him, detaching himself from being part of the decline of modern art by reaffirming “I’m not the man who sold the world.” He calls for authenticity, not letting the city take away his identity by singing, “The louder you scream, the harder he blows / You know what I mean / Texas man causes a scene.”
The album starts to move toward messages of love, referencing Antonoff’s wife Margaret Qualley as his muse. Track four, “Me Before You,” showcases his distraught emotional state before meeting Qualley. Raspy vocals, soft synths and a beautiful sax melody in the background embody this message. Similarly, track seven continues with the theme of love with the song “Isimo,” which is speculated to be a sentimental love letter to Antonoff’s wife, as Antanoff references his wife’s Instagram username, @isimolady. Bleachers continues the retro theme with the pop anthem “Sha la la la” by Robert Moseley in the phrase “Sha-la-la, love you, baby.” The track is upbeat with numerous guitar solos and harmonious vocals that strengthen the song production.
The album begins to drop off in quality as auto-tuned voices replace authentic vocals in later tracks such as “We’re Gonna Know Each Other Forever” and “The Waiter.” These songs delve into themes of individuals contorting to fit a standard for commercialized art, causing a loss of individuality. Stylistically, the use of autotune delivers this deeper message by replacing Antonoff’s unique vocals with an automated, generic voice. Despite its layered meaning, to the average listener, it just sounds bad, hurting the album as a whole.
Overall, the message evolves throughout the album from acknowledging a loss of love, youth and culture to an appreciation of what time and change have brought with it. The lyricism leaves a lot open to interpretation, allowing listeners to better engage with the music by relating it to their own experiences. Bleachers is not afraid to experiment with different sounds — its boastful revival of the saxophone is something we’ve been desperately missing in pop. Every sound is intentional, and the thought put into the lyrics and musical compositions makes for an immersive and enjoyable experience for the listener.
4/5
