Bleachers Saved the Best Songs for Themselves

He’s written for pop musicians like Taylor Swift, Lorde and Sia. But expanded outside of the top 40 world to work with Grimes, Troye Sivan, and St. Lucia. His 80’s inspired slow building synth beat’s all leave hints in his other works, and their lyrics have a poetic quality that captures a feeling rather than a scene. Lorde credited him with giving her the best song writing advice ever by saying “Happiness is a for tourist write you little f*****”. So it’s no surprise that Jack Antonoff album number two captures that eighties pop bliss without it being overdone and lyrics sits in the perfect of spot of crazy and sane.

I feel like everyone does an 80’s inspired pop ballad today. It can be easily overdone but Bleachers doesn’t take that route. This album is such a pop album, which isn’t a bad thing. There’s a question and answer format with the riffs with a lot of songs that grab your attention. But the real quality of the album lies within its lyrics. They are easy lyrics something you can memorize within 3 listens of a song. But the simplicity and ease of the lyrics are what make some of the best lines on the album. The raw honest that doesn’t grab at details but rather an emotion makes the song feel like it can become anybodys. In “Everybody Lost Somebody”, there’s a cool little saxophone riff, but the song has such belt your heart out vibe. It’s pop-ease makes the harsh reality of the lyrics feel fun, it’s like laughing at your own sadness. In one of my favorite songs “Don’t Take the Money” Jack doesn’t mention any pronouns. He doesn’t call out a specific gendered romantic interest that he’s singing about, even though the song is very much a heartbreak new love song. This breakaway from details, which normally makes lyrics and writing so relatable and special, allows for a new freedom of interpretation.

Best tracks: Don’t Take the Money, All My Heros, Everybody Lost Somebody