Strange Desire

While he came to prominence as the guitarist for fun., Jack Antonoff formerly fronted the pop-punk upstarts Steel Train and has written songs for the likes of Taylor Swift and Sara Bareilles. He's a pro, in other words, and his craftsmanship shines through on the debut of his new project, Bleachers. Packing more '80s punch than a pair of legwarmers and a can of Tab, Strange Desire looks to acts like Peter Gabriel, Simple Minds, and Duran Duran for inspiration. "Wake Me" has some "Voices Carry" ethereal slow-jam magic to it, and "Rollercoaster" sounds like Blink-182 covering "Dancing in the Dark." Even Yoko Ono shows up to add some angular '80s experimentalism. Yet the smash single "I Want to Get Better" is distinctly of-the-moment, a mash of looped pianos and choral chanting that makes for one of the summer's most unlikely jams.