I listened to Bleachers’ new single “Modern Girl” in the way it was meant to be listened to: driving on a New Jersey highway toward New York City.
In some ways, that’s the thesis of Bleachers, super-producer Jack Antonoff’s band. He always feels like that kid living in “the shadow of the city” — perpetually on the highway, never quite arriving in the place that he’s been dreaming of. This has never been clearer than on “Modern Girl,” the band’s first single off of their fourth album, released Sept. 20.
Since last Wednesday, I have been listening to “Modern Girl” practically nonstop. Stylistically, it perfects the sound that the band has been experimenting with since the release of their second album, “Gone Now,” in 2017. That style being modern-yet-vintage synth, combined with the saxophone-y energy of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band of the ’70s and ’80s. The similarities are striking and evident from the first seconds of the song Antonoff’s “one, two, three, go!” and subsequent sax blare are identical to the opening of Springsteen’s song “Bobby Jean” off of “Born in the U.S.A.” This is not a comparison that Antonoff shies away from — Springsteen was actually featured on “Chinatown,” the first single from Bleachers’ third album. At their Radio City concert last summer, the Boss actually came out to perform the song with the band that likes to riff in his shadow.
Where most Bleachers’ songs have raucous musical moments that bely lyrics tinged or overt with melancholy, “Modern Girl” is just pure fun from start to finish. With a pace reminiscent of (a more melodious) “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” “Modern Girls” is the rallying cry for a Friday night out on the town, capturing the possibility and excitement of being young in the city and sharing a night (and early, early morning) with friends.
Bleachers is often referred to as Antonoff’s passion-project that he putters around with when he’s not busy producing for the biggest names in music like Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, FCRH ’08, and Lorde. This is a massive presumption that overlooks the exciting work that the band is doing both sonically and lyrically.
For massive Bleachers fans with a careful ear for detail, “Modern Girls” is especially rich. Lead singer Antonoff takes the time to call out each original member of the band, including himself who he refers to as “New Jersey’s finest New Yorker.” While self-referential lyrics are not necessarily new for the band (see “I’m Ready to Move On/Mickey Mantle Reprise,” for example), the latest single features the band’s most expansive and creative call-backs to date. The phrase “killer queens” recalls the chorus of the band’s third single, “Rollercoaster,” off their first album in 2014. “Love on a wire” in “Modern Girl” is a lyric that’s reminiscent of Antonoff’s “standing on a wire” back in their second album’s “Everybody Lost Somebody” — the first song to feature the band’s now-integral saxophonist. Lastly, the band chants “Hutch!” at the end of the song, both a celebration of their drummer and a repeat of the outro of “How Dare You Want More” from 2021’s album, “Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night.”
“Modern Girl” is a celebration of where the band comes from, both lyrically and thematically, and where the band is headed with their upcoming fourth album. It’s hard to predict when Bleachers’ fourth album will be released — the time between first single and album for “Gone Now” was two months, for “Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night” it was eight. Hopefully it’s sooner rather than later; “Modern Girl” was the perfect song to listen to as I got ready for Senior Toast, and I would love to have more new music from my favorite band to soundtrack my senior year.
In “Strange Desire,” the band raged against the longing and recklessness of love. “Gone Now” was a mournful yet joyful expression of loss and self-discovery. “Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night” unpacked the vulnerability of intimacy and what’s left of us once we’re out in the open. I can’t wait to see what Bleachers explore in their next album.
