Tours Through Discographies: Bleachers

   Back when I was obsessed with fun., I was pleasantly surprised when member Jack Antonoff announced his side project, Bleachers. It was really cool to hear one of the two non-Nate members of fun. sing, and he's quite good at it. 

  Bleachers is still going strong all these years later. And now it's even grown to being a full band of which Jack Antonoff is the lead singer.

1. Strange Desire (2014)

   This album came out while fun. was on their way out, and in the succeeding years it was cool to pretend this album was fun.'s third album, but they just had Jack sing instead of Nate. Now, it stands on its own as the brilliant beginning of something that became bigger than fun. was. This is my favorite album by them; it was an excellent debut. There's a certain energy and style to this album that was reminiscent enough of fun. while also being unique enough to show everyone that Jack had more in store.

Favorite tracks: "Like a River Runs", "I Wanna Get Better", "Wild Heart"

2. Gone Now (2017)

   Talk about a worthy successor, man. This album incorporated all the good stuff from Strange Desire, but in my opinion just comes a little short. It's still amazing, still iconic. The counter of "Goodmorning" vs. "Goodbye" and the continuation of the idea of having a reprise like Strange Desire did shows how creative Antonoff is. This album unfortunately marks somewhat of an end of an era for Bleachers and I wish they still made music like this, as good as they still are.

Favorite tracks: "Everybody Lost Somebody", "Don't Take the Money", "All My Heroes"

3. Take The Sadness Out Of Saturday Night (2021)

   The beginning of a new era for Bleachers. He kinda changed from the energetic, indie pop kinda stuff from the first two albums and went for a more chill kinda vibe. It's still good, but it's not what the first two albums were. This is my least favorite Bleachers album, but it's still definitely worth the listen and having in your rotation. The collabs with Bruce Springsteen and Lana Del Rey are also nice touches, and it feels like Jack gets a little deeper and more personal here than in the first two albums.

Favorite tracks: "Chinatown" feat. Bruce Springsteen, "Stop Making This Hurt", "How Dare You Want More?"

4. Bleachers (2024)

    The new one! I think this is a step up from the one before it, as it seems to kind of mesh the sound from the last one with some of the style of the first two. I think we're seeing a sort of metamorphosis in seeing Jack Antonoff become the exact musician he wants to be, and this is a sign of it. I think "Self Respect" is their best song in years. And it's really cool that this is the first album released by Bleachers the band, not Bleachers the Jack Antonoff nickname.

Favorite tracks: "Self Respect", "Modern Girl", "Call Me After Midnight"