Off the Sidelines and into Bleachers, Gone Now

“Jack Antonoff” may not be a household name quite yet,

but he is surely moving off the sidelines and onto center stage. Antonoff is credited as a co-songwriter and co-producer for Taylor Swift, Lorde, Zayn Malik, and just about any other pop-music giant in the industry right now. He’s the founder of the band fun., and the reason why “We Are Young” was consistently stuck in all of our heads in 2012. His New Jersey pride rivals that of Bruce Springsteen, so much that he started a music festival he calls Shadow of the City, which is held at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ once a year.

He is also the driving force behind Bleachers, an indie pop band of his creation that exists as a vessel for Antonoff to do what he loves; write cathartic songs about love, loss, and naturally, New Jersey, to be performed for crowds to scream back to him. When Bleachers released its debut album Strange Desire in 2014, his goal was definitely achieved with standout track “I Wanna Get Better”; a fast, upbeat song about hitting rock bottom and finding your way back to yourself.

After taking a few years to work on other projects,

including Lorde’s highly anticipated second album Melodrama, Jack Antonoff’s Bleachers is back with a sophomore album of their own. Gone Now is forty-one minutes of anthemic pop music – complete with cathartic, honest lyrics, saxophone solos, guest appearances from his other famous friends, and multipart reprises. Tracks range from soaring arena sing-a-longs, such as the first single “Don’t Take the Money” to slower, gentler, “All My Heroes.” Gone Now is sure to make you feel every emotion all at once, especially during the third single, “Everybody Lost Somebody” or staple love song “Let’s Get Married.” It’s an album for every and any occasion, may it be a long car ride or a live show, where the audience is sure to sing along. Catch Bleachers live on the festival circuit this summer, as well as on tour this coming fall. Gone Now is available now on iTunes and Spotify.

By Jessica Braunstein

Songs to check out: Don’t Take the Money, Everybody Lost Somebody, I Miss Those Days, Let’s Get Married

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