Summer is around the corner and that humid heat comes nights filled with main character moments. With Bleachers’ newest self-titled album, those picture-perfect moments will have perfect coming of age songs accompanied by coming of age songs.
Bleachers — led by songwriter and producer Jack Antonoff — is the band’s fourth studio album. Imagine the feeling of sticking your head out the car window as the warm summer breeze rushes over your face — now bottle up that feeling and put it into an album. That’s what Bleachers is.
The 14 songs have an 80s and 90s indie rock feel, similar to their three previous records.
Starting off strong is “I Am Right On Time.” The first minute of the song is filled with an anticipatory tune. It builds until lyrics wash over the production like a cleansing wave of relief.
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The song shares the same feeling that you would get after the last bell in high school before summer finally hits. Antonoff’s signature elevated lyricism reflects on childhood ending with the impactful lines, “For once in my life / I am right on time.”
Bleachers then moves right into sax-heavy “Modern Girl.” This song is what I picture my parents dancing to at their prom. It starts out with an addictive saxophone intro before Antonoff kicks off the track with a scream. “Modern Girl” is what was played at the ‘Vous before it turned into Cornerstone Grill and Loft. It is the perfect song to scream with your best friend while your’re out on the town.
Clips from the band’s music videos play alongside the album on Spotify and those only add to the energy of each song. The clips chosen are the perfect culmination of what these songs feel like: laying in the bed of a truck while driving down the highway at night, dancing, staying up until sunrise with your best friends and spinning in circles beneath the night sky.
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“We’re Gonna Know Each Other Forever” continues the late summer night production deep into the track list. But instead of the youthful, coming-of-age party sound like previous songs, the track is rife with emotional reflection and shines in its acoustic guitar usage, a rarer instrument in Bleachers tracks. It made me feel nostalgic for walking home with friends on late nights after the bar closes.
The album’s final song, “The Waiter” continues its introspective tone. With a melancholic tone, this song left me emotional and was a natural conclusion to the album’s coming-of-age story.
From start to finish, Bleachers’ newest album is my new go-to for a summer night out. Once you hit the sad tones of the later songs in the album, you can just restart it and reinvigorate that movie-like care-free feeling.
