Jack Antonoff Just Wants to Talk

Reflecting on a sunny spring morning at Electric Lady Studios, Jack Antonoff expresses that we used to dream more deeply. He recalls how one would experience vivid dreams at night, waking up with lingering feelings from those dreams. "You'd have some coffee and they'd heighten. You'd go for a walk, feel that subconscious and collective unconscious too, bouncing off those things. Now, the second you look at your phone, all that disappears," he notes.

With a hint of a Bernie Sanders-style flourish, he adds, "The relationship to the phone has, only for the benefit of billionaires, robbed us of that time."

The omnipresence of the phone—representing myriad roles from a communication device to a source of distraction—was central to Antonoff’s creative process while crafting Bleachers' fifth album, Everyone for Ten Minutes (set to release on May 22). The album's title derives from the AirDrop setting that temporarily allows nearby users to send files, symbolizing how we momentarily open our lives to the influx of others.

Antonoff grapples with the paradox of having a device that offers access to extensive knowledge yet often results in a preoccupation with oneself. He comments on desensitization in society, recalling how, despite being inundated with imagery from significant historical events like the Gulf Wars and 9/11 during his youth, there was still "space to take it in." In contrast, he reflects on how people now consume overwhelming amounts of disturbing content daily.

An early riser, Antonoff prefers to tackle songwriting before external distractions disrupt his thoughts. He describes his social media feed filled with dog videos, observations on his "very stressful relationship" with food, and his tendency toward indulgent culinary content. "Having food on the way — and bad food, bad, bad, bad food — it's a real high for me," he admits, humorously acknowledging, "My algorithm has been well trained to be, like, slicing of steaks, frying of fries, and cracking of eggs."

Occasionally, Antonoff explores the “accidental poetry” that emerges from typing suggested words in his Notes app. He finds that the phrases often encapsulate themes of longing, affirmation, and motion. "My life is about running, missing, and loving," he observes.

An approachable and contemplative presence, Antonoff is thoroughly engaged in our conversation. Seated in a cozy lounge beside the studio, adorned with leather couches and an upright piano, he shifts from discussing his food preferences to the significance of shared experiences at provincial chains, emphasizing how his teenage tours across the U.S. cultivate a deep empathy for diverse communities, as illustrated in the standout track "The Van."

"A lot of things that happen break my heart more than they fill me with rage," he reflects. "Everybody wants the same thing, which is this little piece of possibility, and the more it gets robbed, the more they start trusting the worst people."

As he pauses to grab a slice of watermelon, I bring up a past comment Antonoff made regarding Bleachers' songs portraying a "person going crazy in a room alone." He considers this idea, reaffirming, "That thread in some way will always be there. The albums are pretty clear mirrors of where you're at in your life. What the main way you are interacting with the world is."

Everyone for Ten Minutes articulates the perspective of an individual who has achieved some goals yet still faces the complexity of fulfilling them. Antonoff navigates memories of his formative years as a musician, family connections, love, and the theme of grief. Remaining true to Bleachers' tradition, the album is marked by sincere storytelling, in-jokes, references, and hidden layers, encapsulating its essence of community and belonging.

"Everyone in 2026 needs to take stock of who they're telegraphing to, whether it's your partner, your family, your friends. Who wants to talk to the whole world?" he prompts. "The experiment is a remarkable failure."

As he continues leading me through Electric Lady Studios, Antonoff introduces his core team—engineers Laura Sisk, Oli Jacobs, and Jack Manning—who have collaborated with him across both Bleachers’ albums and his notable production projects, earning him three Grammy Awards for Producer of the Year. In a shift from earlier beliefs about the distinct separation of his production work and Bleachers, he now embraces their interconnectedness.

While working on Everyone for Ten Minutes, Antonoff simultaneously contributed to Kendrick Lamar's GNX and Sabrina Carpenter's Man's Best Friend. He frequently collaborates with members of Bleachers for various projects but maintains that the sonic elements differ significantly across his work. "There's almost zero sonic crossover," he notes, emphasizing that sound is not the primary inspiration for his creative endeavors.

"When I'm in a room with Kendrick… I think, 'Oh, the way he's telling the story about his past is so vivid. I've been trying to do a story about my past,'" he shares. Antonoff appreciates how artistry can be linked, and he draws inspiration from contrasting elements.

Collaboration is a cornerstone of Antonoff's philosophy, and he dismisses the stereotype that songwriting is an isolated, tortured genius's terrain. "Everyone wants that 'light a candle, shoot the heroin, write the song' moment — and how boring if it was that easy," he reflects. "I'd be shooting up right now if it was that easy! It's why we live in this deranged hellscape of retelling stories about music."

Conversely, the classic rock-and-roll narrative of the ambitious youth pursuing their dreams closely aligns with Antonoff's journey. He began touring with punk bands as a teenager, rejected traditional academic paths for music, and maintained a close relationship with his parents until his late twenties, when his career finally took off. His supportive parents provided him the freedom to explore music, particularly as they navigated the shared grief from the loss of Antonoff's younger sister to brain cancer. This support may also stem from Antonoff's father's own experience as a musician, who faced familial obligations that obstructed his artistic aspirations.

Antonoff acknowledges that his background fits the archetype of the hard-working artist but feels it is also a testament to his truth. A driving force behind Everyone for Ten Minutes is Antonoff's determination to reclaim his narrative, which he feels has been oversimplified by external perspectives over the years.

"I felt like my origin story was blurring even to myself in a weird way," he admits. "You start questioning things that happened because of narratives around you." Navigating this complexity, he feels compelled to reinforce the truth of his beginnings.

The album opens with two pivotal songs: "The Van" and "Sideways." The former delves into Antonoff's formative experiences with touring, while the latter reflects on the "severing of the ancestral pact," celebrating the joy in choosing his path while recognizing the accompanying guilt. He states, "Those two songs explain exactly why I'm here," before the album transitions to more contemporary themes.

Antonoff's writing style is marked by a conversational flow, inspired by his interest in how humans communicate. "More than anything in the world, more than any new movie I want to see, more than having dinner with a friend, I would love to be alone somewhere, just listening to a couple talk," he confesses. This fascination permeates Everyone for Ten Minutes, with tracks like "We Should Talk" centering on reconnecting with someone lost to time, and "She's From Before" offering a poignant expression of grief coupled with its resolution.

The love songs, particularly "I'm Not Joking," feature an evocatively pure exploration of love, derived from Bob Dylan's "New Morning." Celebrating the straightforwardness of Dylan's depiction of love, Antonoff found joy in crafting something similarly rooted in direct emotion.

The album's centerpiece, "Dirty Wedding Dress," reflects on the unexpected chaos surrounding Antonoff and Margaret Qualley's wedding weekend, wherein Taylor Swift devotees converged on the venue. Amidst this hullabaloo, the song evolves into a commentary against bullying and unwarranted intrusion, championing the significance of finding one's circle and disregarding external noise.

"My biggest takeaway was, 'What do I care if there are people outside?'" he remarks. "It's a great metaphor for the internet. It's a great metaphor for communication nowadays." Emphasizing the importance of cherishing connections with loved ones, he underlines the insignificance of public opinion in that context.

Despite years spent touring, Antonoff’s enthusiasm for live performances remains unwavering. As Bleachers prepares for an extensive North American tour to promote Everyone for Ten Minutes, having kicked off with a special concert at the Fillmore New Orleans on May 20, Antonoff has arranged an impressive lineup of supporting acts, including indie bands like Wednesday, This Is Lorelei, Hovvdy, Momo Boyd, and the Linda Lindas.

However, Antonoff is acutely aware of the challenges facing the concert experience amid rising ticket prices. He openly critiques industry practices, particularly targeting Live Nation and Ticketmaster. Recently, he responded to Ticketmaster's claims of apprehending scalpers at Harry Styles' NYC concerts with a sardonic, "you caught you?" — a nod to allegations that the company colludes with scalpers to profit from resale tickets.

"If something's incredibly complicated, it's because someone wants you confused," he asserts. "Why is it so complicated to vote? Why is it so complicated to buy a concert ticket? They want us confused. They want us freaked out." Antonoff questions why purchasing tickets must be so convoluted, contrasting the simplicity of acquiring everyday items.

Resonating with those who still cherish music's intrinsic value, he stands as a vocal advocate for accessibility in the industry. With his remarkable background rooted in DIY culture and affordability in concert-going, Antonoff underscores his belief that even amidst a sea of newly uploaded works, there is ample room for exceptional music.

"No one's ever like, 'Oh, I listened to too much music today,'" he concludes. "There's so much space for great music. If anything, I would say we're starved for it." His profound commitment to the art form remains unwavering, reflecting a journey characterized by passion and resilience.