Bleachers
Strange Desire
(RCA)

Bleachers is the side project of Jack Antonoff, widely known as the guitarist of fun. (and for dating Lena Dunham). His debut, Strange Desire, is packed with ’80s synth rock  influences, lyrics that sound as if they’re lifted straight from a diary page, and the song of the summer.

Throughout the album you’ll hear guitar riffs reminiscent of The Cure, modulated synth lines similar to Duran Duran, and echoing vocals modeled after Tears For Fears; it nearly sounds like you’re listening to a soundtrack from a John Hughes movie. With production tricks from John Hill (who has recently worked with Santigold), the album aspires to be played in a stadium, and while some tracks succeed, others fall flat.

The lyrical content of Strange Desire is full of angst, loneliness, brokenness, and consoling others that they are not alone in feeling such things. One moment Antonoff is, “standing on the interstate screaming at myself” and the next he is reassuring someone with the words, “if you’re feeling small, I’ll love your shadow.”

The standout track by far is the first single, “I Wanna Get Better,” which is turning into one of this summer’s anthems. This track explodes into the airspace and commands your attention, and somehow twists the line of wanting to mend yourself into a pop battle cry.