Bleachers: take the sunday sadness out of saturday review
Written By: Emma Caplan
Record producer and songwriter Jack Antonoff is the mind behind Bleachers, an Indie pop band based in New York City. With music strongly influenced by classic sounds of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, Bleachers melds this with modern sounds into their own hybrid vibe. Antonoff creates most of the instrumentation in-studio but is joined by a band for live shows.
The group has been around since 2014 and has three studio albums, a live album, and a number of singles under their belt.
Take The sadness out of saturday night
Overall, the Bleachers deliver a very versatile, meaningful, and thoughtful sound with great instrumental arrangement and combination. With sounds as diverse as synth-esque ‘80s to acoustic-folk-around-the-campfire, the group’s sound is truly timeless.
Some of the slower-paced tracks might sound a bit inaccessible or experimental, but it seems like an outlet for the group to express their art on an elevated level from their more catchy, faster beats. That said, it’s tricky to really get into the slower stuff and these more upbeat tracks really are where Bleachers absolutely shines.
Elements of some of the tracks stood out in different ways:
91. This has a pretty neat intro and the violin sounds great but the song was a hard one to appreciate overall. However, it is one that grows on you the more you listen to it, so all hope is not lost.
How Dare You Want More. There’s nothing bad to say about this track. It’s fun, danceable, dynamic, retro, light, and catchy… just makes you want to put it on repeat!
Chinatown. The overall vibe of this one truly stands out. It feels urban and raw. There is nothing not to love here, especially if you’re a Springsteen fan. His deep and serious vocal sound colliding with music that makes you dream as it transports you is spot on. (Neat little side note: the lyric “take the sadness out of Saturday night” makes this the title track, even though it’s called Chinatown).
Secret Life. Speaking of being transported, this one takes you to a lazy, hazy afternoon in the park. It’s moody and relaxed, and Lana Del Rey’s background vocals suit its tone really well.
Big Life. There’s not much to say about this other than listening to it feels like something’s missing — the song is just off track with its vocal and sound combination… something reminiscent of a high school band rehearsing in a garage.
45. This acoustic, catchy track does an amazing job of telling a story in a singable way. The emotional and engaging lead up to the "But I'm still inside" part of the chorus holds your attention and makes you want to sway and sing along.
Strange Behaviour and What'd I Do With All This Faith? Both of these evoke sleepy, boring, slow, and even somewhat eerie feelings. They’re simply not fun or appealing. But, every artist is entitled to experiment and make their art their own, and that’s what likely happened here for Antonoff.
Stop Making This Hurt. This song has such broad appeal, it could be something off of a movie, a theme song, or even a stadium song. The brass instruments really add to its catchy, fun, memorable, and danceable charm.
Don't Go Dark. Somehow, this timeless song balances being uplifting, happy, catchy, and light in a truly solid way — there’s no fluff here whatsoever and the sound incidentally suits the name.
Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night clearly shows Bleachers, with a bit of help from guest vocalists and influences of the past, have again pulled off their own unique sound and aren’t afraid to be themselves. While some of the tracks may have missed the mark, they don’t compromise the band’s sound and art and that’s something to be respected. There’s no denying that Bleachers’ select fun, loud poppy hits carry this album, and that’s totally okay.