Bleachers return with their fifth studio album, ‘everyone for ten minutes’, a record described as the culmination of years of musical development and collaboration for the six-piece band fronted by Jack Antonoff. The album follows 2024’s critically acclaimed self-titled release and arrives after the band’s extensive From The Studio To The Stage world tour, which concluded with their largest headline performance to date at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Fronted by thirteen-time Grammy Award-winning artist Jack Antonoff, Bleachers first emerged with their 2014 debut album Strange Desire. Since then, the band have developed a dedicated global following with the release of everyone for ten minutes only set to cement that bond further.
With the release of a slew of singles “you and forever,” “dirty wedding dress,” “the van,” “i’m not joking,” and “we should talk” ahead of the album dropping, Antonoff and his bandmates had already let fans inside the workings of their fifth offering and, as you listen to the rest of the album, if you’re a fan of the singles, then it should follow suit that those tracks also find a welcome home.
An album which finds Antonoff inspired lyrically by themes including marriage, grief, generational divides, and modern culture and musically by a buffet of different styles all doused in that familiar New Jersey sound the band are open about their love for.
The drawl of opener “Sideways” but it’s the second track “The Van” where you start to really feel the nostalgic look this album is taking on life. Barely getting out of second gear for the pulsating beat of “we should talk”, everyone for ten minutes and Antonoff have, by now, set out their intentions for the rest of this record so, settle in for a ride that is fun, full of memories and, thankfully, devoid of any bumps along the way.
“You and forever” and the follow-up, “dirty wedding dress”, delve into love and romance with the former building up into bristling crescendo while the latter has more of a swagger to it compared to some of the nostalgia-inspired tracks on display and provides the album with a bit of a bite as we head into the midway point of the record.
Over the halfway point and the sax-drenched “take you out tonight” finds Antonoff more blunt in his lyrical musings while “she’s from before” returns to a lazy, wistful, drawl as the album draws towards its conclusion. The album wraps up with “upstairs at els”, another nostalgic but upbeat pop journey into the memories of the writer.
An album which seems to be placing critics at extreme ends of the spectrum, everyone for ten minutes has been described in such over the top terms as “anthemic” and “life-affirming” by one over-enthusiastic writer. Yes, given some of the huge pop acts Antonoff has worked with, you would expect that from his own work. However, those more tempered in their opinion, have bandied about terms like “nostalgic” and ”romantic” which, in all honesty, paints a more realistic appraisal of this collection of songs.
‘everyone for ten minutes’ is out now through Dirty Hit. To pick up your copy, head over to the Official Bleachers Website.
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