Album Review: Bleachers - 'everyone for ten minutes'

From heartbreak to euphoria, Bleachers have made their masterpiece.

Described by The New York Times as “anthemic” and “life-affirming”, Bleachers return with their fifth studio album, everyone for ten minutes, and it is every bit the record you would hope for from a band operating at the very peak of their powers. Fronted by thirteen-time Grammy Award-winning artist Jack Antonoff, the band have built one of music’s most passionate fanbases across four studio albums, culminating in a sold-out world tour that ended with their largest headline show to date at Madison Square Garden. The bar, then, could not be higher, and to be honest, they clear it with ease.

The album opens with ‘sideways’, a dream pop introduction that washes over you in blissful waves of synths. There is an air of somberness to the intro before the track explodes at the midway point, weaving a wailing scream into a cascading sound of drums, horns and synths galore. It catapults you into everything that follows. ‘the van’ arrives like a slow Beach Boys cut, classical in its opening before the drums flesh it out into something more grandiose and entrancing. The melody on the hook is brilliant, with the peculiar use of an accordion being the cherry on top.

Things get even more interesting on ‘we should talk’, where a distorted, glitchy bassline laces the instrumental and the peculiar guitar work adds a sense of unease that perfectly mirrors the time-sensitive feeling of knowing an awkward conversation is approaching. The keys towards the end and the climactic outro make it the best track on the album so far, signed off with a FaceTime call that is a neat nod to the song’s title.

Lead single ‘you and forever’, accompanied by an Alex Lockett visual featuring Margaret Qualley, feels more spacious than its predecessors. The drums tease an explosive chorus whilst retaining a subdued magical potency, before the final minute delivers an emphatic and dramatic expression of frustration. ‘dirty wedding dress’ follows with Americana flair, Jack‘s whimsical vocal delivery echoing Bob Dylan but with considerably more flair, while ‘take you out tonight’ throws you into what sounds like the middle of a wedding ceremony, the saxophone arriving as one of the album’s great musical moments. The line “so come on Bleachers” feels like a window into just how much fun this band had making this record.

The album’s emotional core arrives with ‘i can’t believe you’re gone’ and ‘dancing’, two of the most intimate moments on the project. Both deal in loss and heartbreak with a softness that is uniquely Bleachers. ‘she’s from before’ and ‘i’m not joking’ ease the album back into more uplifting territory, before closer ‘upstairs at els’ brings everything to a celebratory and fittingly emotional conclusion.

Bleachers sound better than ever & so secure in their musical identity. everyone for ten minutes is a reminder that the smallest moments are sometimes the ones that end up meaning the most. Jack Antonoff’s work across music this past decade cannot be understated, and his work with Bleachers is where his sheer talent shines brightest.

Words by Alex Peters

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