Jack Antonoff’s latest album is the stuff 80s pop nostalgia perfection is made of.
****
LISTEN, PLAYBACK, REPEAT: My Spotify was stacked this summer with hot new hits that captured the vibe of the season—you know, music to hot tub, sip rosé and have a one-man apartment dance party in full-blast AC to. But the album that I’m still spinning as the weather starts to cool down is Gone Now by Bleachers.
Released the first week in June, Gone Now is the sophomore solo effort by Grammy winner and music biz wunderkind, Jack Antonoff, under his new moniker following a stint as lead guitarist for the 2012 couple-of-hits-and-then-they-were-gone band, Fun. Bleachers makes this chapter seem like a Top 40 fever dream, as Antonoff delivers supremely awesome retro 80s pop-synth perfection, making an old sound feel fresh as he explores love, loss and the ongoing attempt at being a good guy in a tough world. And yes, there are even some sing-songy spoken word sections to secure this album as the 80s nouveau revival you’ve been waiting for.
FOR THE RECORD: Sure, some may only know Antonoff as Lena Dunham’s boyfriend, or the guy standing behind Nate Ruess while he screeched about us being young and setting the world on fire. But he’s likely already a part of your daily playlist without you even knowing it. As a producer, Antonoff is the mastermind behind hits such as Sara Bareilles’s ‘Brave’ and Taylor Swift’s ‘Look What You Made Me Do,’ in addition to Lorde’s new album, Melodrama. (He also collaborates with fellow brilliant bring-the-80s-back pop princess, Carly Rae Jepson, who makes a cameo on Gone Now.) Major stuff, but for me, none of these comes close to the euphoric pulse of Bleachers’ breakout hit from the new album, ‘Don’t Take the Money,’ which peaked near the top of the Alternative Radio charts.
THE FINAL SPIN: Whether you just stop by for ‘Don’t Take the Money,’ or pull up a neon bean bag chair and stay for the duration of Gone Now, a little time spent with Bleachers won’t do you wrong. And with Antonoff recently kicking off a tour to support the album—touting dates in Chicago, NYC, Philly and Boston this November—a live rendition of a sound that takes you back to the past could be in your future.
Give ‘Don’t Take the Money’ a listen below.