When
Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night
appeared,
Jack Antonoff
was a pop production powerhouse. While he was making
Bleachers
' third full-length, he also shaped the sound of albums by hugely popular artists including
Taylor Swift
,
Lana Del Rey
the Chicks
, and
Lorde
. Though he was at the top of his game professionally,
Antonoff
was just beginning to emerge from a deep post-breakup depression, and
Take the Sadness
captures that tipping point when joy finally shoves desperation out of the way. Perhaps for the first time,
's music sounds as vulnerable as his lyrics always have; tender strings grace "91"'s feelings of being stuck, while gentle acoustic guitars cradle the closing ballad "What'd I Do with All This Faith?" Of course, he still excels at turning emotional emergencies into exuberantly widescreen pop songs. "Stop Making This Hurt" is classic
, as are "Big Life" and "How Dare You Want More," all of which boast the shout-along choruses that have been
's trademark since the
Fun.
days. Looking back to move forward has also always been at the heart of
' music, and
uncovers something new each time he does it. Though the therapeutic openness of his songwriting has a lot in common with his collaborators and clients, his knack for penning anthemic yet down-to-earth songs goes back to his New Jersey roots and another of that state's favorite sons,
Bruce Springsteen
. The way
bridges pristine synth pop and gritty rock on songs like "Don't Go Dark" evokes
Born in the U.S.A.
, and when
the Boss
himself appears on "Chinatown," it's almost too perfect. In keeping with the album's feeling of change,
offers a warmer and more organic take on
' music that's as evident in details like the lo-fi vocals on "Strange Behavior" as it is in the album's entire vibe. More mature than either
Strange Desire
or
Gone Now
but just as life-affirming,
is a refreshingly different perspective on
and a heartfelt soundtrack to millennial midlife crises. ~ Heather Phares