Atwood Magazine’s writers dive into Bleachers’ kinetic and richly textured fifth album ‘everyone for ten minutes,’ a restless companion to their self-titled record that channels Jack Antonoff’s signature bombast, vulnerability, and nostalgia into a fervent fight for connection in a world crowding out what matters most.

Featured here are Atwood writers Danielle Holian, Emily Weatherhead, and James Crowley!

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To start, what is your relationship with Bleachers’ music?

James Crowley: A few weeks ago, I would’ve described myself as someone who really enjoys their music, but then, I saw Bleachers at MSG near the end of June, and I’m a full-fledged fan now. It was a fantastic show. Before this, I adored “Don’t Take the Money” and really loved a handful of other songs (mainly coming from Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night), but that show really made me love this band. I was pretty quietly a Bleachers fan though. One of my friends was very surprised that I was going to the show.

Danielle Holian: I have been orbiting Jack Antonoff’s universe for years, long before his name became synonymous with modern pop’s most glittering achievements. Knowing he is the architect behind so much of Taylor Swift’s sonic evolution certainly made him a name worth remembering, but the real discovery came when I stopped viewing him through the lens of his collaborators and started paying attention to the world he was building under his own banner. He is a fascinating musical figure, equal parts pop savant and restless experimenter, and as I have immersed myself in Bleachers’ catalogue over time, I have moved beyond casual appreciation into genuine fandom. There is something about the way he marries bombast with vulnerability, the way his saxophone cuts through the noise like a confession, that has pulled me in completely.

Emily Weatherhead: I’m definitely more familiar with Jack Antonoff’s work as a producer than I am with Bleachers, but songs like “Isimo” and “Merry Christmas, Please Don’t Call” have made their way into many of my playlists.

What are your initial impressions and reactions to everyone for ten minutes?

James: I felt like it was a perfectly solid album. They’re not necessarily a band that’s going to reinvent the wheel, but they also don’t have a bad album. I felt like this was generally a little more revealing into Jack Antonoff as a person rather than simply being a collection of songs. That might be due to a slight rise in Antonoff’s celebrity, as fans scrutinized his work with Taylor Swift a little more, his marriage (and now, apparent separation from) Margaret Qualley, his relationship with his old band, and more.

Danielle: From the first initial listen, I was hooked. I am very excited to get a copy of the album on vinyl, for my collection. I paid attention from the get-go, and truly feel it’s a skipless album.

Emily: My first impression of this album is that there are so many moving parts! The diversity shown between the different tracks is impressive, and Antonoff really contorts his voice to fit the mood of each song. You can tell this is a group that cares deeply about all the intricate aspects of their music, with tons of tiny production elements to find for the first time on each new listen. Antonoff is obviously a master of a catchy hook, and tracks like “dirty wedding dress” and “upstairs at els” have this talent on full display.

How does this album compare to 2024’s self-titled album – what are the most striking similarities or differences?

James: Bleachers albums I do think are difficult to compare to each other, because to some extent, they do just bleed together, at least sonically. These records feel very much so related to each other. There’s a few bangers (“dirty wedding dress” or “Modern Girl”), a few talky-social commentary songs (“the van” or “Jesus is Dead”), the more upbeat numbers (“take you out tonight” or “Tiny Moves”), and some grief (“i can’t believe you’re gone” or “Isimo”). Even though I think part of Bleachers’ charm is that they can play so many styles of music so well, I also feel that they do have a distinctive enough “Bleachers sound” that doesn’t get shaken up too much from album to album.

Danielle: I think there’s a difference but similarities where you know it’s a Bleachers song, because of their shared sonic DNA. I think the differences between this record and 2024’s self titled effort are more pronounced than might first appear. The self titled album felt like a consolidation, a confident statement of everything Antonoff had built, whereas this new record feels like an expansion, a willingness to push those signature sounds into more vulnerable and unpredictable territory. The grief on the self titled album was raw and immediate, a wound still bleeding, while here it feels more processed, more reflective, less about the shock of loss and more about the strange persistence of memory. The social commentary has also sharpened, moving from general observation to something more pointed and frustrated. Where the self titled album often wrapped its critiques in shimmering pop sheen, this record lets the anger bleed through more visibly. Even the bangers feel different, less like escape and more like defiance. The similarities are undeniable, the saxophone still wails, the drums still pound with that signature urgency, the nostalgia still pulses through every track. But the emotional register has shifted, and that shift feels significant. This is not a band repeating themselves, it is a band deepening their exploration of the themes that have always defined them.

Emily: I find myself gravitating to the self-titled album more than everyone for ten minutes. I find the upbeat songs more fun to listen to and the lyrics on the slower tracks more impactful. While I get that the inspiration of everyone for ten minutes came from a desire to examine and reflect on the more difficult aspects of the time we’re living in, I find it to lean a little more on the jaded side without some of the more grounded and authentic observations that made up Bleachers. That being said, both albums have a dynamic production style that is incredibly exciting to listen to, with intricately layered instrumental lines that immediately grab hold of your attention.

Bleachers teased everyone for ten minutes with “you and forever,” “dirty wedding dress,” “the van,” and “i’m not joking.” Are these singles faithful representations of the album?

James: Yes, but mainly in the sense that I think that those hit all those Bleachers sound beats, and those are probably the best songs on the album (barring “i’m not joking,” which I don’t really care for). They do hit on those nostalgic themes, while focusing on marriage, while giving fans a taste of the cultural commentary that Antonoff wants to give.

Danielle: I completely agree with that assessment, and I would go even further in praising the single choices. The decision to lead with “you and forever,” “dirty wedding dress,” “the van,” and “i’m not joking” was a masterstroke in curatorial confidence. Those tracks do not merely represent the album, they function as its essential DNA, distilling everything Antonoff does best into a concentrated opening salvo. Each single showcases a different facet of the Bleachers sound while maintaining a cohesive emotional through-line that makes the full record feel less like a collection of songs and more like a unified statement. They hit those nostalgic themes with precision, anchoring the album’s meditation on marriage and commitment while simultaneously offering the cultural commentary that has always elevated Antonoff’s work beyond simple pop craftsmanship. “i’m not joking” has a more compelling and willful playfulness to that track that provides necessary levity, a reminder that even when Antonoff is wrestling with the weightiest of themes, he never forgets that music should also be joyful. The singles collectively function as a perfect invitation, they give newcomers an immediate sense of the album’s emotional landscape while rewarding longtime fans with the signature sonic touches they have come to adore. It is rare for an artist to so accurately gauge which tracks will best represent a full-length project, but these choices feel almost intuitive in their rightness. The album delivers exactly what the singles promise, which is the highest compliment one can pay to any artist brave enough to put their best material forward from the very beginning.

Emily: Yes, I think these singles do a great job of introducing the themes and sounds of the album. I agree that these are some of the stronger songs on the album, especially “you and forever,” which has some of the best lyrics on the album. “the van” has a great symphony of background instruments, with funky drums, warm synth lines, a wailing saxophone, and a harmonica line that shines overtop of everything. “the van” does a great job of priming you for the wide variety of sounds you can expect to hear on the rest of the album.

In addition to themes of marriage, generational divides, and grief, Jack Antonoff has spoken about the how this album was born out of the “monumentally bizarre moment in culture” that we’re currently experiencing. Does this description capture the spirit of these songs, and where do you hear or feel it most?

James: I think the general frustration with the state of the world comes most palpably in the breakdown in “you and forever,” but there’s a sense that everything is so weird and difficult that we do tend to retreat into ourselves. I think that comes through in “we should talk,” where he’s looking back at many musical relationships. A lot of this record is looking for more simplicity, calmness, and easier days. Tracks like “the van” and “dirty wedding dress” also sound frustrated at the amount of bullshit that ends up taking up brain space and taking us away from the people we love and the things we love to do.

Danielle: This record is practically vibrating with a kind of existential exhaustion that feels uniquely of this moment. The breakdown in “you and forever” is where that frustration becomes almost unbearable, a sonic unraveling that mirrors the way our collective nerves have been frayed to the breaking point. It is the sound of a man staring at the chaos and realising that the only sane response is to admit he has no idea how to fix any of it. The frustration that pulses through “the van” and “dirty wedding dress” speaks to something even more corrosive, the sheer volume of nonsense that steals our attention from what actually matters. This is an album furious at the mental clutter, at the performative anxieties and digital noise that crowd out the people we love and the things we love to do. But beneath that anger lies a genuine longing for simplicity, for calmness, for easier days. The record is not merely complaining, it is searching, and that search feels urgent because it recognises how much we have already lost to the chaos. It argues, quite persuasively, that the only way forward is to acknowledge the absurdity of our moment and then deliberately, stubbornly choose connection anyway. That is not naivety, it is a hard won survival strategy, and it makes this album feel less like a collection of songs and more like a lifeline.

Emily: We are definitely living in a uniquely strange cultural time, but I don’t necessarily hear this reflected in the majority of the album. everyone for ten minutes certainly observes the pull between being authentic to yourself, your craft, and your relationships versus conforming to the ever-growing pressure of outside expectations. However, none of the songs really go deep enough into this idea to feel central to the album. “we should talk” and “dirty wedding dress” certainly dance around this theme, especially with lines like “So how can I talk to the ones counting streams / Or the ones who like to bully the dolls / Or the ones waiting in line to get ripped off just to turn around to rip someone else off,” but nostalgia, grief, and love certainly take on a much more central role in the rest of the songs.

Which song(s) stand out for you on the album, and why?

James: Besides the sings “you and forever,” “dirty wedding dress,” and “the van,” I find myself going back to “we should talk.” It has a sleek, modern indie rock sound, where it almost sounds like it could be used to narrate a great montage in a romantic comedy. Plus any song that references the Mountain Goats is usually great in my book.

Danielle: “we should talk,” “sideways,” and “dirty wedding dress” (which tickles my brain) are my top songs from this album. The album overall truly is a remarkable release. I love Anthoff’s vocals, and the band’s insane musicianship to create an album that feels timeless. I adore the indie rock soundscapes and rusty vocals.

Emily: “dancing” is a standout song that captures a feeling of grief through layered vocals and stripped back instrumentals. The guitar is a beautiful foundation for the sparkling synths that eventually come in and fill out the song’s sonic background. Antonoff’s vocal performance conveys a yearning sadness that perfectly complements the song’s lyrics, exploring the grief of being the one who remains, singing: “How could you let me do this alone? Glory to the ones who were left, hallelujah.”

Do you have any favorite lyrics so far? Which lines stand out?

James: It’s that refrain in “you and forever” that gets me every time:

So, damn, the bastards called it out
Everyone they stop from doing just an inch of good
They hate themselves, forever war, it paves their hell
F*** everything that I’ve been told
‘Cause I just saw the heavens open up

I know Antonoff is a punk guy, and honestly, it really makes me happy that he threw down a few lines about pointless forever wars in the middle of what is otherwise, a pretty romantic song. I’m getting married this year, but I’m also incredibly frustrated at the state of our country and its incompetence. You can be in love and want to dismantle the broken systems in place at the same time. This is a song for that.

Danielle: “we should talk” hits home for me. “You held my hand until I took it back / And then the world turned on you, I don’t forgive them for that,” makes me so emotional hearing this particular part of the song. Throughout my life I had some people I’ve loved so much that I would hang on to their every word. For me, this song perfectly sums up this feeling, in music form, and in storytelling, where it hits me hard.

Emily: “you and forever” has some gorgeous lyrics (especially the refrain that James pointed out.) I really love the line “Well, walking with a ghost, that shit was tearing me to shreds / I had never known my name until you spoke it from your chest.” This line beautifully captures the idea of feeling truly seen for the first time when you meet someone you deeply connect with.

Where do you feel everyone for ten minutes sits in the pantheon of Bleachers’ discography?

James: If all the albums bleed together, I’m happy for the handful of great songs, but there’s not a definitive best Bleachers album in my opinion. They all work about equally well, and I find that everyone for ten minutes does just as well. As a companion piece for the self-titled, it makes it a bit more enjoyable. All this being said, if the reports are to be believed that Antonoff and Qualley are in splitsville, I think that there will be new readings into this album from fans, and perhaps the next record will be the heart-wrenching breakup album that paints them in a new light.

Danielle: This was the first album where it had my attention from the get-go. I’d say it’s my top Bleachers’ album.

Emily: I once again have to echo James, I think this album is another solid entry into their catalogue. As a much more casual listener of this band, everyone for ten minutes didn’t capture my attention as much as some of their previous work, but as Jack Antonoff mentioned in his description of the album, the band do everything for the “Bleachers acolytes.” The intentionality that Bleachers put into every aspect of their music shows just how much they care about creating something special for their fans, which I think they’ve accomplished on everyone for ten minutes.

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 © Alex Lockett

everyone for ten minutes

an album by Bleachers