Jack Antonoff and his group Bleachers recently dropped their self-titled album on March 8. Coming off of his third consecutive Producer of the Year Grammy for artists like Taylor Swift, St. Vincent, and Lana del Rey, Antonoff releases more songs with his own band while wearing his Bruce Springsteen influences on his sleeve, but cannot escape the band’s singles artists label and build a worthwhile album from top to bottom.
“I Am Right on Time” and “Modern Girl”’ reimagine some of Springsteen’s greatest hits like “Badlands” and “Hungry Heart” with slicker production and the Bleacher’s signature layered vocal production. “Modern Girl” is the catchiest single on the album with an infectious sax hook and a bouncy verse reminiscent of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire”. It’s jaunty attitude mixed with lyrics that got a chuckle out of me:
“I Guess I’m New Jersey’s finest New Yorker
Unreliable reporter
Pop music hoarder
Some guy playin’ quarters”
This track will nudge just about anyone to tap their foot along.
This energy dissipates in “Jesus is Dead” riddled with clunky lines (“Misshapes and oh, the great Longwave”) and repetitive hooks. Antonoff may have been attempting an understated vocal delivery but it comes off like a vocalist in a grade school talent show reluctantly performing their part. Outside of the rock-solid dual sax solo at the end that jolts the listener awake after such a slog, the track ends up being monotonous for the majority of its runtime.
With its ethereal synths and a passionate execution of the lyrics, “Me Before You” is the best ballad on the album, excellently paced, slowly incorporating guitar accompanimental figures and echoing sax licks. Then lets loose with a guitar solo and a somber bridge. The low tempo ballads continue with a Lana del Rey feature in “Alma Mater”. Her haunting voice, lending an extra dimension to Antonoff’s layered vocals but ends up being underutilized as a mere background element. The beat picks up again in another highlight “Tiny Moves”. A guitar and synth heavy track with amazing shout vocals that give the end of each line a well deserved punch.
The next few tracks are forgettable, the common themes often being flat with sloppy lyrics and saved by an outro saxophone solo. “Call Me After Midnight” saves the 2nd half of the album with a guest appearance from Chicago singer and writer Sam Dew. This song could have been ripped straight out of Bleacher’s 2017 album Gone Now with its syncopated piano riff and rock anthem instrumentation. The final tracks are mixed with the same lifeless ballads that have exhausted the majority of the runtime.
Bleachers continues to write fantastic singles that deserve so much more radio play, but have still not been able to create an album that’s consistent from start to finish. The overemphasis on ballads does not play to Antonoff’s vocal strengths and doesn’t emotionally engage the listener. As predicted, the production is top-notch, every track sounding clean and every synth meticulously selected.
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