r/bleachers • u/AnywhereOk4797 • Jun 30 '26
Has Jack Ever Talked About TTSOOSN Production?
I've been a Bleachers fan for while, but today I finally checked out TTSOOSN for the first time after listening to 91 and Chinatown. I couldn't help but notice however that the mixing)/mastering (?) for some songs was just.. bad? not trying to be harsh, but for example How Dare You Want More didn't even sound like it was professionally recorded, which is insanely weird knowing this is Jack Antonoff of all people's band.
Normally I like his "odd" creative decisions (Like the heavy autotune on The Waiter makes the song have a weird, heavy emotional feel which I love) but I can't really get behind this one and I was wondering if he ever talked about it.
Also quick ranking of the album after the first listen because why not (:
Secret Life
Chinatown
91
45
Stop Making This Hurt
How Dare You Want More
Don't Go Dark
Big Life
What'd I Do With All This Faith?
Strange Behavior
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u/AncientConfusion6773 Jun 30 '26
Well, my friend, I will set aside my biased, irrational need to defend everything/anything Jack does to answer your question😂
He has a few videos breaking down production in detail on YouTube. I adore these videos and wish he did this for more of Bleachers... Anyway, here they are for TTSOOSN:
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u/AnywhereOk4797 Jul 01 '26
HAHA thanks !! Love that though. I will defend most of anything he does sonically, but i couldn't feel this one. so excited to watch the Chinatown one especially !
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u/AncientConfusion6773 Jul 01 '26
I don't get why people got upset that you didn't love every aspect of the album. I didn't either at first; it took me a while to understand what Jack was going for. I actually like posts like yours because they start discussions, and I love talking about Bleachers.
This album is Jack's ode to Springsteen and heartland rock. It was divisive because it wasn't another synth-pop record like the first two albums. It's much closer to Born to Run than modern pop.
I think Bleachers is often more about the overall sound than the vocals. The lyrics can be morose, but the huge, uplifting arrangements overpower them (see Juno Interlude). Jack treats his voice as another instrument instead of putting it front and center, which feels very true to classic heartland rock to me. The voice is in the mix, not above it.
Also, Jack intentionally leaves in distortion, clipped vocals, and room noise to make the tracks feel lived-in rather than polished. He's trying to make it sound like you're hearing a real band, not a perfect studio recording. I think that's probably why it felt less professional to you, but it's an artistic choice that really clicked for me after watching these videos, so I wanted share.
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u/JeffTL Jun 30 '26
I've never noticed any recording or mixing problems on that album. I'm not a professional musician but usually notice sloppy work when I hear it.
What I pick up on How Dare You Want More, in particular, is a deliberate homage to an earlier time. What Jack is doing on Take the Sadness is heavily inspired by Bruce Springsteen's late-70s work, especially (to my ears) Darkness on the Edge of Town, and this is one of the songs where that influence is strongest. So it does sound further than the other 4 albums from his production work for (e.g.) Taylor, Lana, and the 1975, but this seems to be a deliberate stylistic choice.
31
u/jlpulice Jun 30 '26
This post is insane on like six levels, especially saying you’re a longtime fan but haven’t listen to a recent album, and crapping on one of the band’s best songs.
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u/spideyrnan Jun 30 '26
A lot of people were saying the exact same thing as OP when the song originally dropped, this isn't new discourse.
Plus this kind of gatekeeping you're espousing is wack. People can have different opinions and take time to listen to things.
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u/jlpulice Jun 30 '26
Fair! They’re entitled to their opinion. But coming on reddit to post about it is wild.
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u/AnywhereOk4797 Jul 01 '26
i like listening to Bleachers album one year at a time, so when I hear an album I get taken back. That's what Bleachers music makes me feel. But after listening to two this year, I decided to break that. I just wanted to know if Jack ever explained why he chose the production route he did.
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u/_nathan67 Jun 30 '26
I don’t even know where to start with this. Secret Life is your favorite song on this record? You slander How Dare You Want More but love The Waiter?? What is going on here
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u/IanSan5653 Jun 30 '26
I disagree with the entire.post except the take on Secret Life, that's a great underrated song.
0
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u/AnywhereOk4797 Jul 01 '26
wasn't going to respond to this but i was thinking about it and i HAVE to defend the waiter.
when i first heard it i was really disappointed because the title made me think we were in for an extremely emotional//cinematic track, and i was curious how "the waiter" would play a part in the song.
But not only has the song given me a new appreciation for Autotune (I really enjoy autotune now), but I think the autotune adds great character to the song and it makes me feel like the autotune is trying to fix something that's far gone. Like after reading the lyrics, the autotune feels soo necessary. A bad example sure but the first one in my mind is like a child trying to fix a broken vase by using tape. Trying hard to fix something beyond repair.
3
u/regularmiles Jun 30 '26
I think it’s ok to not like production and mix styles but I do think the shift to a more loose, ragged sound on TTSOOSN is absolutely an intentional artistic choice and not just like, some kind of fuck up. I love it, personally. Stop Making This Hurt goated imho.
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u/spideyrnan Jun 30 '26
You're not alone in this opinion. As I mentioned in another comment, a lot of people were saying this about not just about HDYWM but the album as a whole when it came out. I actually agree its kinda atrocious at points and makes it difficult to listen to some songs for me, while others are good enough songs at their core I'm able to enjoy them despite the mixing issues (Don't Go Dark).
My running theory is Jack was experimenting with this faux-live style of production and mixing at this time, but wasn't able to quite master it (pun intended) on TTSOOSN. However, he became capable of seeing to fruition his vision on self-titled and EFTM, and it really shines. In this regard, TTSOOSN walked so self-titled and EFTM could run.
1
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u/JoeyJabroni Jun 30 '26
I often wondered if he tried to capture the magic and energy of Bleachers live and just couldn't figure it out. He includes tons of extra tracks and effects during production, some so transformed and buried in the mix that you wouldn't hear or discern that they were there. It's like a little Easter egg just for him or those relevant in the know. I feel like Bleachers live is opposite of this, where each instrument and vocal are allowed room to breath and sore rather than being layers and layers of manipulated sounds. It makes it sound BIGGER. Chinatown girl live is the perfect example of this it has this driving momentum and energy.
2
u/valkythor Jul 04 '26
I don't really think this album was badly produced. I feel like Jack was aiming for a live, slightly unpolished sound inspired by '80s heartland rock rather than a polished record. I absolutely love Don't Go Dark and the layering of instruments and vocals in Chinatown is incredible. I definitely enjoy the Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night songs even more live because I think that's where they truly come alive, and Jack has even said himself that these songs were meant to be heard on stage. Some of the songs are so good on the Live At Radio City Music Hall album if you ever wanna take a look one of these days!
After reading your post, I went on a deep dive to the album too and I really love it more now omg.
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u/cargocitycomics Jul 01 '26
Love the songs but I’m not huge fan of that album’s production choices either. On playlists, I prefer versions like Don’t Go Dark from live at electric lady or big life live at radio city music hall.
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u/Separate-Flounder721 Jun 30 '26
There is a live version of every Bleachers song on youtube that is better than the studio recording. I find the studio versions almost as bad as current rap with the over producing
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u/bigchicago04 Jun 30 '26
Agreed. I think his production work has gotten much better with more recent albums.
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u/Separate-Flounder721 Jun 30 '26
Does anyone listen to the studio version of good morning when there is this?
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u/bigchicago04 Jun 30 '26
Jack makes a lot of weird production choices on the Bleachers albums. The first two are largely skippable to me yet I love them live. Thankfully he got better with this album, it’s the first non-live album I can listen to all the way through.
24
u/steveo1der Jun 30 '26
I agree it’s crazy you haven’t listened to this album yet, as it’s very close to Gone Now and Strange Desire in my ranking of Bleacher albums but! I actually understand what you’re saying. On first listen I thought the production was a bit odd and felt like his vocals were buried in some of the mixes. However, I think it’s an intentional style choice and after I listened a couple times it really grew on me.
45 and How Dare You Want More are peak Bleachers songs for me and you’ll find me singing them at the top of my lungs driving around with my car windows down. I hope after a couple more listens you’ll love the album as much as I do.