Gone Now
As one of music’s most sought-after songwriters, Jack Antonoff pens stadium-pop hits for Taylor Swift, Lorde, and Carly Rae Jepsen. But as Bleachers—his thundering, belt-your-heart-out, \'80s-esque pop-rock project—he’s totally, authentically himself. “I’m a white, Jewish kid from New Jersey,” he told Beats 1. “That’s what my music sounds like, whether I like it or not—and I actually do like it.” Bleachers’ spirited second album is an impassioned tribute to his idols—The Beatles and Bruce Springsteen—with support from contemporary producers like Nineteen85 (Drake, DVSN) and Sounwave (Kendrick Lamar). The entire record could soundtrack a John Hughes film, but there are standouts: “Don’t Take the Money,” a Vince Clarke-produced anthem about not selling out, and “Everybody Lost Somebody,” a heart-on-sleeve ballad with an E-Street Style sax solo.
Jack Antonoff’s stately sophomore effort as Bleachers has all the affectations of an over-the-top pop masterpiece, with some soaring anthems. But it’s a largely uneven album.
After working with Taylor Swift and Lorde, pop mastermind Jack Antonoff makes a big statement of his own.
"The feeling isn't over," Jack Antonoff sings at one point on Gone Now, and it's a lyric that sums up his aesthetic perfectly.
Jack Antonoff is nothing if not a songwriter who likes to feel something and then express that sentiment as vividly and boldly as he can. ...
'Gone Now' by Bleachers Our review decides if Jack Antonoff's latest record as Bleachers stand up to the high expectations he's set as of late.
Despite Gone Now's attempts to feel timeless, it feels very much of its time.
Bleachers - Gone Now review: A mild letdown from one of indie-pop's most promising stars.