This weekend I made my way home from West Tennessee to North Carolina. The trip is about eight hours long and most of the miles are spent on the same three roads. Honestly, I don’t mind the drive. There are not many socially acceptable opportunities to listen to uninterrupted music for eight hours straight.
My music taste has changed a lot over the years, the best I can describe it now is a genre mosaic of sorts. It is a culmination of the phases I’ve had, the places I’ve been and the people I’ve loved. The artist known as Bleachers is one that I have crossed paths with at multiple points over the years.
The band has been releasing music since 2014 and just released their self-titled album “Bleachers.” I spent 48 minutes and four seconds of my drive home listening to their new album from start to finish.
I happily listened to it once and then proceeded to place my own playlists back on shuffle. This album is not about people pleasing the general public or “selling CDs” as some say. This album has such a unique and retro sound that I did not fully appreciate the first listen-through.
Over this past week, “Bleachers” has slowly infiltrated my playlists. Each time I listen to a song, it seems to grow on me a little bit more. For some, this might be an album you get hooked on from the very first moment. For others like me, it might take a few listens to fully savor the album.
Right off the bat, the first song “I Am Right on Time” sets the tone for the album. This album is intricately woven with nostalgia. “I Am Right on Time,” similar to most of the songs of this album, sounds like it would pair well with the soundtrack of my dad’s childhood — deep yellow sun peaking through the trees as the group of young boys bike to the lake in the height of summer in the ’70s.
Jack Antonoff, the lead singer of Bleachers and seasoned songwriter, has spoken about his inspiration and admiration of artists like Bruce Springsteen who influenced the tone of the album.
I will be honest with you, I can only name one Bruce Springsteen song off the top of my head and that is “The Summer of ‘69” — which I also just recently discovered, is not Bruce Springsteen at all and is in fact, Bryan Adams. So you don’t have to be a ’70s enthusiast to appreciate the quality of the album. It is not traditional pop or a song you scream to in the car with friends. No, you listen to this; you experience it.
I think that is why people have been drawn to this style of music, specifically the Bleachers’ albums. It forces its consumers to slow down and listen. It takes you back to another time, for some like me, a time I’ve only wished to experience.
Other songs on the album, such as “Modern Girl,” really emphasize the inspiration from Bruce Springsteen. The song features a strong saxophone, groovy beat and melodic-list verses that heavily remind me of a mix between “Born In The U.S.A.” by Bruce Springsteen and “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel.
There is a large array of songs on this album and admittedly, there is a strong possibility that they will not all be your cup of tea. However, I do not think that I have ever experienced an album that has such an immaculate ’70s vibe baked right into each song.
Kids my age have a fascination and yearning for the nostalgia of the past. “Stranger Things” bonded us with the childhoods of our parents, the fashion reflects my older sister’s millennial experience and now the music is regressing too.
Music has been made so commodifiable, cheap and easy. Albums like “Bleachers” remind me of the art behind music. Jack Antonoff paints a world to experience and draws you in with every feeling. The band Bleachers has created something special with this album that I have not yet seen done but hope to see more of soon.
