Bleachers - Everyone For Ten Minutes
The fifth studio album by Bleachers immerses listeners in the personal life of Jack Antonoff more deeply than ever before.
“You were a miracle / You did it your way”, Jack Antonoff sings on “sideways”, the opening track of Bleachers’ new album everyone for ten minutes. Love has always been central to the band’s music, but after the frontman’s marriage to Margaret Qualley, that devotion seems to have intensified, resulting in one of the warmest and most affectionate records in his catalog.
“sideways” sets the tone immediately: an airy dream-pop piece in the spirit of “About You”, one of the standout tracks from The 1975’s latest album, which Antonoff also helped shape. On the lo-fi leaning “the van”, he shifts into spoken word, reminiscing about his youth in New Jersey and falling in love with Qualley. Reflections on the past continue through “we should talk”, where Antonoff recalls his years in fun. and arrives at the conclusion that conflicts are often best resolved through honest conversation. Still, the track loses some impact because of unnecessary autotune—a flaw that also surfaced on Bleachers’ previous self-titled record.
Yet the strongest Bleachers songs have always revolved around love. The album’s lead single, “you and forever”, feels destined to become a wedding staple: painfully sincere and emotionally direct. “I had never known my name until you spoke it from your chest”, Antonoff sings as his voice slowly dissolves into sweeping strings. On “dirty wedding dress”. he revisits the evening Qualley became his wife, referencing “Margaret” by Lana Del Rey — written for the couple — while joking about Taylor Swift fans swarming the neighborhood where the ceremony took place. Meanwhile, the country-tinged “take you out tonight” nods to the viral “Jack Antonoff can you fight?” meme whenever Qualley is mentioned online. In moments like these, Antonoff sounds genuinely fulfilled, as if his relationship has made him the happiest man alive.
There is also space on everyone for ten minutes for grief and remembrance. “i can’t believe you’re gone” is seemingly dedicated to Sarah, Jack’s sister, who passed away from cancer at a young age. His voice carries an overwhelming sense of sorrow, while the lyrics hit with devastating emotional weight. It is one of the album’s most difficult yet beautiful moments. That feeling continues on “dancing”, where Antonoff admits that living with such loss never truly becomes easier. “No, dying is not romantic this young / You’re someone and nothing all at once”, he confesses over soft acoustic guitar.
The album’s biggest weakness, however, is its tendency toward repetition. Tracks like “she’s from before” and “the van” echo ideas and sounds listeners have already heard on previous Bleachers projects. While these songs remain heartfelt, they can also feel monotonous, and by the album’s closing stretch, repeated vocal refrains like “la-la-la” and “sha-la-la” become exhausting—especially on “i’m not joking”, which eventually borders on tedious. Antonoff clearly has ambition and emotional honesty, but the band’s familiar sonic palette often creates a barrier between him and the audience.
Still, at the center of Antonoff’s world are the people around him and the memories tied to them. On the bright, synth-driven “upstairs at els”, he references Lana Del Rey and Carly Rae Jepsen while reflecting on collaborations with Lorde and Taylor Swift. Can everyone for ten minutes truly surprise longtime Antonoff listeners? Probably not. But it remains an undeniably pleasant record about love, friendship, and the memories left behind by past adventures.
6.2/10
