You may not know it, but Jack Antonoff has probably written a few of your favorite songs.
Jack, also known as Bleachers, is one of the most talked about record producers in the industry at the moment. Over the last few years. he’s written and produced for Taylor Swift, Lorde, St. Vincent, Lana Del Rey, Kevin Abstract, Carly Rae Jepsen, The Chicks, Clairo, Troye Sivan and more.
Jack started his own journey in music as the writer, guitarist and drummer in the pop band known as fun. (“We Are Young,” & “Some Nights” are two of their most popular songs) The band broke up in 2015 after 7 years together. Jack also had two side projects/bands called Steel Train and Red Hearse that eventually ended around 2013. Bleachers burst onto the scene in 2014 after a year of keeping it a secret from everyone, including his former band mates. With his electric debut single “I Wanna Get Better,” he was off!
I started listening to Bleachers back in high school, and I immediately fell in love with the echoey choruses, the build up then explosion of sound on each track and Jack’s conversation-like lyrics that make each song so…Bleachers-esque. (Pro tip: any Bleachers song listened to on headphones is magical.)
His first album, Strange Desire, was one of my favorite records of 2014. During the Strange Desire era, I got to meet Jack at the local record store that I worked in. It was so surreal! Looking back, this was just the beginning of Jack’s journey. His style, both musically and fashion-wise, had just begun to develop. Now, Jack has a very distinctive look (he’s often rocking Docs, brightly colored socks and laces, plus a sick leather jacket or jean vest) and a trademark sound that you can recognize in every song he touches. It’s been fascinating to watch him grow as an artist over the years. When I got to see him live a few years later in 2017, his style had evolved even more. (See video below!)
Shortly after Strange Desire, Jack released an incredible record called Terrible Thrills, Volume 2. It was comprised of the same tracks as Strange Desire, but all sung by his favorite female artists, including Charli XCX, Carly Rae Jepsen, and more. (My faves are “I’m Ready to Move On/Wild Heart,” “Who I Want You To Love,” and “Wake Me.”)
I hear my songs being sung by females before I change them and make them into my voice. The whole heart of this idea is for people to hear the album the way I hear it in my head, reinterpreted by the artists who sort of inspired it to be written in the first place. -Jack
A lot of Jack’s lyrics draw from his experiences growing up in New Jersey. During his senior year of high school, his younger sister Sarah passed away from brain cancer at 13. In every Bleachers record, Jack touches on themes of loss and grief – it’s a common thread in his songwriting process. In a recent Q&A, he talked about music as his coping mechanism when his sister became ill. Everyone grieves differently, and for Jack’s family, their way of surviving and adapting after the shock of losing Sarah was allowing their children to follow their dreams, no matter how big or unconventional. They told Jack and his siblings not to worry about what was expected of them and to live their lives the way they wanted to. So instead of heading off to college the next year like he’d previously planned to, Jack started writing music in his bedroom. Touring and writing was a form of escapism but also a way to heal.
Jack has built one of the coolest fanbases I’ve ever seen. The fans are a tight-knit, insanely fun community that are tuned in to every single one of Jack’s projects, large or small. The biggest fans of Bleachers have connected with Jack on Twitter and built personal relationships. He’s even reached out to invite them to exclusive events, like his rooftop Q&A in New Jersey that happened this last Wednesday, July 29th, with a select group of adoring fans. I love seeing things like this happen – deserving fans who are given the opportunity to connect with their favorite artist in an intimate space…that’s what music is all about. The connections. It’s so important for artists to curate personal relationships with their fans – it leads to long term loyalty and a bond formed by music that will last a lifetime. ❤
Jack and his music have brought me so much over the years. I’ve been here since the start and bleachers has not only brought me amazing music, but also friends, healing, experiences and incredible memories… just to name a few things. I was 16 when “Strange Desire” came out and I’m 23 now, which is insane to me. He started calling me “M” and I’ve never had a nickname until then but now most people call me M too, it’s a cool feeling. Everyone is so kind and I’ve met some super cool people over the years. Bullying Jack about this album has been the best part so far, I can’t wait for what’s in store once it’s out. Jack’s the best we’ve got (even if he does steal my sharpies) and I’m lucky to be able to know him and experience everything he creates in this lifetime. – M (@MakayIaBergasse, fan)
In addition to building a killer fanbase, Jack and his team have done an incredible job promoting his music/brand in clever, eye-catching ways. Right before the release of Gone Now, he removed his childhood bedroom (that he lived in until he was 27) from his New Jersey home and turned it into an actual “moving, living art installation.” He toured the U.S. with it inside of a trailer marked with his trademark red dot. This tour allowed fans to physically see and touch the place where Jack found his early inspiration, plus learn more about the upcoming record. I almost skipped school back in the day to see it 😉
I learned to love music in there was i was 10 – wrote my first songs in there when i was 12 – started recording and having band practice in there at 13 – had all my relationships there – started touring and would come home to this room – wrote all the steel train songs in there – started bleachers in this room while fun was getting bigger and i was still living there – strange desire came from this room …. and now … this new album. gone now is about moving on and how we can’t take it all with us. – Jack
To promote the release of his newest album, Take the Sadness Out Of Saturday Night, Jack mailed out mysterious puzzle pieces to fans who sent a stamped envelope to his P.O. box. When placed together, the pieces formed the new album cover. In addition, as a nod to NJ and its famous tomatoes, Jack has partnered with Razza Restaurant to create a a limited edition Bleachers sauce made with homegrown NJ tomatoes. The jar comes with an exclusive recipe card, Bleachers t-shirt and patch.
Weird, creative PR tactics like this tomato sauce are my favorite! So memorable. 🍅
Gone Now blew me away. Released in 2017, the first track, “Dream of Mickey Mantle” is from the perspective of Jack within a dream. He says that he wrote this song after an early experience with death, and learning at a young age that nothing lasts forever…it’s all temporary, even your favorite baseball player. Through out the record, he references Mickey in various songs. I always admire artists who can tie in references to their own songs so seamlessly, and this is something Jack/Bleachers does so well. He repeats lyrics and phrases through out his records, like “I miss those days,” “rolling thunder,” “curse my bedroom,” “Mickey Mantle,” and more.
I’ve been a fan of bleachers and Jack for years now. I’m from the Jersey shore so I’m very familiar with Jack and the concerts he puts on in Asbury Park. I’ve been to a few of his shows and have dates planned for future shows. Bleachers’ music truly connects with me especially because I am a Jersey native. Even hearing him sing about the Jersey parkway puts a smile on my face because his music feels like home to me. I’ve grown up listening to Bruce Springsteen, another Jersey legend, and I can easily say that Jack’s music reminds me of Springsteen’s. Jack’s vocals, production, sonically cohesiveness, etc. make him the musician that he is. -Caroline (@GetawayCaroline, fan)
Jack is one of the most important figures in music right now. Fans joke that he is currently being “passed around” by every pop artist, since he’s worked with such a wide variety of people…from Taylor Swift to Bruce Springsteen. Through it all though, Jack remains Jack. He stays true to his roots and references NJ and the people who shaped him every chance he gets – whether that be in a song or an interview. He sprinkles a bit of his magic in every song he produces or writes, and if you listen carefully, you might just hear a hint of Bleachers in some of your favorite songs.
Stream Jack’s new record here!
A Perfect Playlist 
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