A Leap Of Faith: "You're Still A Mystery" by Bleachers (Song #8/366 - August 29, 2015)

When Jack Antonoff decided to do a side project, he was on tour with Fun but felt inclined to write and record a side project which became Bleachers. Shortly after the release of their debut album in 2014, they performed at Lollapalooza in Chicago. While his set began in the rain, it subsided and the sun gleamed down upon the field and that was when Bleachers began to radiate off the stage. The Bleachers record Strange Desire is so yearning, loving and wistful I am not sure if Antonoff needs to go back to Fun. 

If his pop-flavor of the songs wasn't enough, he asked the crowd if anyone grew up in the 90s before taking the Cranberries "Dreams" for a spin around Lollapalooza where the melody soared from his guitar bringing it to a close. Antonoff and the band delivered a carefree set overflowing with surging melodies wrapped up in arms-to-the-air anthems. "Rollercoaster" glided merrily, "Wild Heart" drums burst with heart and "You're Still a Mystery" bristled with urgency. 

There will be skeptics who will tell you Bleachers offer nothing new, but they are overlooking the overwhelming sensations that overcome you seeing these songs live. I bought the record on Friday and had spun it three times before this set on Sunday and the best part if "I Wanna Get Better" isn't even the album's best song. Bleachers' Lollapalooza performance was more than a side project but a musical force to be reckoned with. The driving synth compliments his yearning vocals that feel like a mash-up of a perfect 80s/90s single. The chiming chorus yearns for you to scream from the top of your lungs. The song encapsulates a mystical and mysterious love that's indescribable but to Antonoff's credit, he does a damn good job of defining the feeling in his song.