Bleachers Re-Release ‘Strange Desire’ With Female Vocalists
Bleachers‘ debut album Strange Desire has been re-released and reimagined with female vocalists, as Charli XCX, Sia, Carly Rae Jepsen and Tinashe are among those contributing to Terrible Thrills, Vol. 2.
The LP was digitally released via Google Play — the same site hosting Bleachers frontman Jack Antonoff‘s docu-series Thank You and Sorry — as a free download. Terrible Thrills, Vol. 1 was released in 2010 as a companion to Antonoff’s old band Steel Train’s third and self-titled LP and featured contributions from Tegan and Sara, Scarlett Johansson and Amanda Palmer.
“I love female voices,” Antonoff said in a statement. “I wish I had one. When I write songs, I typically hear things in a female voice and then match it an octave lower so I can hit the notes. That’s why so many Bleachers’ songs are sung so low. I could change the key, but I like things sounding like a male version of what in my head was a female-sung song.”
For Vol. 2, Antonoff hooked back up with some of his frequent collaborators of the past few years. Sara Bareilles, who had a massive hit with the Antonoff-co-penned “Brave,” sings on “Wild Heart”; Bleachers’ summer tourmate Charli XCX contributes a full version of her “Rollercoaster” cover previously teased in an In-Ride Session presented by Kia. Antonoff’s fashion designer sister Rachel Antonoff even shows up, teaming up with Brooke Candy for “Take Me Away.”
Bleachers’ joint tour with Charli XCX was cut short in August due to the latter’s inability to “create” while on tour. On September 19th, Antonoff hosted a one-day, New Jersey-centric festival called Shadow of the City.
Terrible Thrills, Vol. 2 Track List
1. “Wild Heart” (Sara Bareilles)
2. “Rollercoaster” (Charli XCX)
3. “Shadow” (Carly Rae Jepsen)
4. “I Wanna Get Better” (Tinashe)
5. “Wake Me” (Lucius)
6. “Reckless Love” (Elle King)
7. “Take Me Away” (Brooke Candy and Rachel Antonoff)
8. “Like a River Runs” (Sia)
9. “You’re Still a Mystery” (MØ)
10. “I’m Ready to Move On / Wild Heart (Reprise)” (Susanna Hoffs)
11. “Who I Want You to Love” (Natalie Maines)