Bleachers is the brainchild of master songwriter and producer, Jack Antonoff. Known as the guitarist and drummer of the pop-rock band fun., Antonoff is also revered for his work with Taylor Swift, producing her acclaimed albums 1989, Folklore and Evermore, the former two of which were named Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards.
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What started off as a passion project has turned into Antonoff’s full-fledged alter ego that’s led to three studio albums, three EPs, multiple singles and more. Bleachers is the one-man operation of Antonoff who co-writes all the songs and often plays many of the instruments. The band originated in 2013, with Bleachers’ debut album, Strange Desire, arriving in 2014.
Meaning Behind the Band Name
The word bleachers was the original title of “Like a River Runs” off Strange Desire which Antonoff called “the coolest name.” But instead of making it the title of the song, he decided to change course and make it his band name instead. “Bleachers just feels like the sound of the music,” he explained in his original band bio. “I was driving with my sister and we were talking about the feelings and influences of the music and the word just like came out. We were like, ‘That’s it, that’s the name. That’s exactly what it feels like.’ It ties into the feeling of a childhood I never had, but even though it was dark, it was also hopeful.”
The name also stems from a dark place. Raised in suburban New Jersey, Antonoff experienced the tragic loss of his sister from brain cancer when he was 18. Soon after, the world was rattled by 9/11, which resulted in the death of his cousin in the Iraq War. “It was like this whole balled-up moment, like before and after,” he recalls to Vulture, adding that the name Bleachers represents the “disconnected, darker side” of youth. “Like, really, age of innocence over. All my friends were in college, they were super-loose, getting fucked up, in a very free place. And I was really weighted down by, like, life stuff.”
The singer was also intentional about not naming the endeavor after himself to allow Bleachers to take on a life of its own. “I knew I didn’t want to call it my name, because I wanted it to have its whole, own identity,” he explained to Vanity Fair about why Bleachers’ first album isn’t self-titled. “I considered going with just [Jack Antonoff], but I thought that felt a little too much like ‘in your face’ solo project. But it’s not like that. They’re both so important to me for different reasons.”
Strange Desire spawned Bleachers’ debut single and signature hit, “I Wanna Get Better,” which topped the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, as well as hit the Top 10 on the Rock Airplay and Hot Rock & Alternative Songs charts. Since Desire, Bleachers’ has released studio two albums, Gone Now in 2017 and Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night in 2021. In August 2023, Bleachers signed a record deal with Dirty Hit. The first release will be the live album, Live at Radio City Music Hall, on August 25.
Photo by Shane Timm/Courtesy of Huxley
