The artistic brainchild of a Jersey-native, Jack Antonoff, Bleachers has racked up Grammy wins and nominations since their debut album, Strange Desire, in 2014. Antonoff announced a new album in 2022, but we didn’t hear anything else until 2023, when the lead single “Modern Girl” was released in 2023. With almost three years in the making, Bleachers is finally back with their namesake album as their fourth full-length addition to their catalog. Bleachers is a 14-track journey heavier on the pop, feel-good vibes than melancholy melodies we have heard from Bleachers before.

Many tracks are reminiscent of nostalgic theme songs to sitcoms, especially the single “Modern Girl,” which is heavy on saxophone and horn-play, guitar strings, and vocals that pack a punch on the instrumental. The lyrics are reminiscent of 80s hair metal anthems riffing about modern girls “shaking their ass tonight.”

This album uses vocals as the most notable instrument. In songs like “Isimo”, the band plays with layering and echoes to weave in and out of the songs. Bleachers is pretty much void of other artists besides the songwriting prowess of Elizabeth Grant AKA Lana Del Rey, who lends her vocals on the edgy “Alma Mater”. Hints of Lana’s writing style shine through with lyrics about “Chasing lines all night” and “Smoking me outta sight.”

The album ends with its most unique track, “The Waiter.” Layered vocoder vocals flow over a minimalist instrumental, spotlighting woozy guitar strings before a gorgeous outro of synths leads the way out of the song.

Bleachers highlights the maturity and growth one would experience after those unpredictable, chaotic, yet beautiful teen years that we all will or have gone through. Where their last albums, Gone Now, Love, Simon, and Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night, were Molly Ringwald in The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink, Bleachers is Molly Ringwald in Betsy’s Wedding. We go from a naive teenager riding the waves of love and life to a mature adult finding humor in the dark times, showcasing deeper wisdom and introspection gained through life’s trials and tribulations. Bleachers will be out on March 8.

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Taking the main stage next was Son Little with the band. With only and EP and one solo album in his repertoire Son Little has been deffinitly turning heads. His collaborations with the likes of The Roots, RJD2, and Mavis Staples shone the light on the name but it’s his talent and stage presence that truly capture the audience. Playing tracks from his upcoming album, New Magic (coming this September), and some of the older works Son Little played a nearly an hour long set to an upbeat, engaged crowd.

The Los Angeles electro-pop trio MUNA – comprised of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson – brought an introspective set to NXNE, a tail-end performance following an ongoing tour with Bleachers. The three members, who met at the University of Southern California, released their first EP in 2014, and shortly after were signed by RCA and Columbia Records. Although outspoken in both their music and politics, the group remained humble onstage, making a memorable impression with songs “Crying on the Bathroom Floor” and “I Know a Place”, both tracks off their first full-length album About U. Coincidentally in town for Pride weekend, the three members are passionate in their anti-Trump stance, utilizing their music, public platform, and performances to maintain LGTBQ-positive and inclusive messages.

Now two albums deep, New York-based indie-pop Bleachers, fronted by Jack Antonoff, (also of Grammy-award winning band fun and partner of Girls’ creator, Lena Dunham), delivered a welcome energy boost to Saturday afternoon’s Port Lands line-up. A charismatic frontman, Antonoff led the five-piece group with an endearingly animated energy and style, including a tongue-out while playing guitar and numerous high jumps. Sparking mass crowd sing-alongs with hits “I Wanna Get Better” and, the more recently released, “Don’t Take the Money”, the band remained interactive throughout their performance – including a story about a band member learning the saxophone in sheer hours, followed by a brief demonstration. What came through, perhaps most significantly, was the band’s heartfelt appreciation and interaction with the crowd: they were with us 110% percent and it was a lot of fun.

English Rapper (and fashion devotee), Tinie Tempah attended the festival and was able to turn things around a little in terms of energy and attendance. With three albums out and multiple chart topping hits, Tempah showed he felt at home on stage and loved including his young fans in the experience. Tempah recently released his new album Youth in May 16 which has gone platinum in the UK and is slowly (but surely) climbing its way up in Canada. Sadly, the outdoor venue did not do his performance justice and would have been much more effective in a more intimate setting, which we are going to patiently wait for when he comes back to the city.

Ending the day was the most anticipated act of the festival, Montreal based artist Kaytranada. With his first album out in 2016 99.9%, which has been critically acclaimed and still very relevant in the music scene, we were looking forward to seeing him live. Kaytranada was grateful to be back in Toronto and was able to draw in the biggest crowd of the festival. He did not disappoint, and he was able to entrance the audience so much, you forgot you were standing in an empty parking lot the whole day. Playing hits from the album and some old remixes, Kayranada put on a beautiful show. Here’s to hoping he will be back in the city soon (at a real venue) and excited to hear what’s next from this Canadian artist.

More photos on Facebook.

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Of course, there are other music festivals that attempt the same convenience, who try to get you to spend all your time outside, or in the woods, but none so conveniently located as Firefly in the gentle town of Dover, Delaware, three hours from all the biggest cities on the East Coast. So the decision for the summer is easy: mellow out in your tent, make your way to the festival grounds, soak up both sun and new and old music, and then go back and review all the goodness of the day as you slip into your sleeping bag. These are the bands you should have thought about as you nestled, and the ones you should be looking up now.

Here’s a list of the top five bands at Firefly Festival:

1. Fitz and the Tantrums: Oh you already know the band rocking the classic soul grooves and vocals. During their performance, they played through their debut album “More Than Just a Dream,” and before launching into a new song, took the time to thank everyone in the audience. They’re quietly the most charming band, securing commercial spots with their solid soul/pop music. The crowd was on their feet, jumping around, hands in the air.

2. Walk Off the Earth: The band famous for playing Gotye’s “Somebody That I Used to Know” with five people on one guitar make infectious ukulele-infused pop music. Their performance at Firefly was a chill summer vibe, with pirate flags waving in the crowd, and enthusiastic head-waving. Their large group allows them to incorporate non-traditional instruments that deepen their feel-good pop. If you haven’t already, check out their cover of Maroon 5’s “Payphone.” This is in addition to unique original songs like “Red Hands” and “Summer Vibes.”

3. Bleachers: Another band with elements geared towards success. Jack Antonoff has taken his pop sensibility (honed in the band fun.) and deep vocals to start a post-punk electronica band. Their performance of “I Wanna Get Better” paid homage to DIY punk bands from the 1970s, the big anthemic vocals destined to get sing-alongs started. Antonoff didn’t forget where he’s coming from though, and each new tune was keyboard gooey and dance worthy.

4. Wild Cub: Go listen to this band already. We’ve covered them at Quip before and they’re getting better with each new write-up. Their sound is electricity on the tip of your tongue. The lead singer gets into it more than the audience without sacrificing any energy for his vocals. If it’s not for their thunderclap electronica pop music, then go to see the intensity with which the lead singer locks eyes with the guitarist who just won’t look his way.

5. Little Daylight: Fresh off a performance on the Seth Meyers show, the shoegaze electronica pop band is poised to move beyond the Brooklyn scene and onto a bigger stage. In July they’re releasing their first full-length album “Hello Memory.” Their performance at Firefly was enthusiastic. When they finally moved to “Overdose,” the thunderous drum kicked in, followed by the thrilling keyboards, and the crowd was won over. The vocals are charming. The band is charming.

Firefly Music Festival managed to put together a diverse lineup for both mainstream music listeners and independent music elitists. Looking up at the stars of Dover late at night, in the immediate silence, gave weight to the sounds of the day.

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