When
Jack Antonoff
sings "How does it feel to get what you need?" on
Bleachers
' fourth album, it goes to the heart of the changes in his life and music. Though he's never downplayed the therapeutic nature of his work, the feeling of a breakthrough on
is unmistakable. Rather than merely taking the sadness out of Saturday night,
Antonoff
envisions happiness as something that could last. The timing for a new attitude is apt:
is his first album for a new label (
Dirty Hit
) and stems from a healing relationship and marriage.
traces this emotional journey with the skill of an artist who won his third consecutive Producer of the Year, Non-Classical Grammy Award shortly before the album's release. Instead of the forceful joy of
Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night
,
presents his growth, hopes, and worries in songs that are equally contemplative and comforting. On "Me Before You," he ponders being ready for a life-changing love over bubbling sax and luminous synths that evoke his hero
Bruce Springsteen
's "Streets of Philadelphia". Even when shadows of doubt creep into "Woke Up Today"'s Laurel Canyon sunrise or
Lana Del Rey
coos "I'll make it darker" on "Alma Mater"'s impressionistic collage, it's soothing and thoughtful in a way that feels new to
. Though the focus is on the album's meditative flow, there are still standout moments of
's pop wizardry. Like a party soundtracked by
the E Street Band
, "Modern Girls" comes on strong, as though
put most of the album's exuberance into it. He finds a more natural balance between fist-pumping and soul-searching on "Tiny Moves"' praise of change and on "Call Me After Midnight," a sprawling fusion of R&B and synth pop that's one of his best contrasts of slick sounds and feelings that are anything but.
occasionally borders on indulgent, but its tangents and loose ends are part and parcel of
's process -- and part of what makes it such a complete self-portrait. ~ Heather Phares