Gone Now

As one of music’s most sought-after songwriters, Jack Antonoff pens stadium-pop hits for Taylor Swift, Lorde and Carly Rae Jepsen. But as Bleachers—his thundering, belt-your-heart-out, ’80s-esque pop-rock project—he’s totally, authentically himself. “I’m a white, Jewish kid from New Jersey,” he told Beats 1. “That’s what my music sounds like, whether I like it or not—and I actually do like it.” Bleachers’ spirited second album is an impassioned tribute to his idols—The Beatles and Bruce Springsteen—with support from contemporary producers like Nineteen85 (Drake, DVSN) and Sounwave (Kendrick Lamar). The entire record could soundtrack a John Hughes film, but there are standouts: “Don’t Take the Money,” a Vince Clarke-produced anthem about not selling out, and “Everybody Lost Somebody”, a heart-on-sleeve ballad with an E-Street Style sax solo.