Jack Antonoff’s fingerprints have been all over the biggest music of the past few years, as he has written and/or produced with/for Taylor Swift, Lorde, Lana Del Rey, and others. As far as his music as Bleachers, though, he’s in the midst of a big gap between albums; His most recent, Gone Now, arrived in 2017. Now, though, he is devoting more time to that part of his musical life with a pair of new songs: “Chinatown,” which features fellow New Jersey native Bruce Springsteen, and the B-side, “45.”
Antonoff shared a statement about the songs, writing:
“‘chinatown’ starts in NYC and travels to new jersey. that pull back to the place i am from mixed with terror of falling in love again. having to show your cards to someone and the shock when you see them for yourself. thinking you know yourself and where you are from…. having to see yourself through somebody who you want to stay… i started to write this song with these ideas ringing in my head. to further understand who you are pushes you to further understand where you are from and what that looks and sounds like. there are pieces in that that are worth carrying forever and pieces worth letting die. ‘chinatown’ and ’45’ are both the story of this – ‘chinatown’ through someone else, ’45’ through the mirror. as for bruce, its the honor of a lifetime to be joined by him. he is the artist who showed me that the sound of the place i am from has value and that there is a spirit here that needs to be taken all over the world.”
The songs serve as a preview of the upcoming third Bleachers album, which is set for release in 2021.
Listen to “Chinatown” and “45” above.