Strange Desire

Last updated
Strange Desire
Bleachers Strange Desire.jpg
Studio album by
Bleachers
ReleasedJuly 11, 2014
Recorded2013–2014
Genre
Length38:55
Label RCA
Producer
Bleachers chronology
Strange Desire
(2014)		 Terrible Thrills, Vol. 2
(2015)
Singles from Strange Desire
  1. "I Wanna Get Better"
    Released: February 18, 2014
  2. "Shadow"
    Released: May 6, 2014
  3. "Rollercoaster"
    Released: June 10, 2014
  4. "Like a River Runs"
    Released: June 23, 2014
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 68/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [2]
Alternative Press Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Consequence of Sound C− [4]
PopMatters 7/10 [5]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Spin 6/10 [7]
Sputnikmusic4/5 [8]
Under the Radar 3.5/10 [9]

Strange Desire is the debut studio album released by American indie pop act Bleachers, led by guitarist Jack Antonoff. The album was released on July 11, 2014, through RCA Records, and produced the singles "I Wanna Get Better", "Shadow" and "Rollercoaster".

Contents

Release

"I Wanna Get Better" was released digitally as the lead single from Strange Desire on February 18, 2014. [10] [11] It has peaked at number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart and number ten on the Hot Rock Songs chart, becoming Bleachers' most successful single to date. [12] [13] The song's music video – directed by actress and filmmaker Lena Dunham, Antonoff's then girlfriend – premiered on March 27, and depicts Antonoff as a troubled therapist. [14] "Shadow" was made available for streaming on April 29, [15] before being released as the album's second single on May 6. [16] [17] On May 15, Strange Desire was announced for release in July. Antonoff said the name was "the 2 words that perfectly title what this Bleachers album is as a documentation of my life as I can remember it at this point". [18] "Rollercoaster" was released as the third single on June 10 [19] and was also made available upon pre-ordering Strange Desire on the iTunes Store. [20] "Like a River Runs" was made available for streaming on June 27. [21] Strange Desire was released on July 15 through RCA Records, and was made available for streaming the following day. [22]

Following the release, the group performed at a number of festivals: Wireless, Osheaga, Lollapalooza, Outside Lands Music, Boston Calling Music and ACL Music. [18] "Rollercoaster" was released to radio on September 9. [23] In late November, the group released Strange Desire (The Demos) for Record Store Day Black Friday, consisting of six album demos. [24] In March and April 2015, the group embarked on a headlining US tour, dubbed Bleachers Come Alive!, with support from Joywave and Night Terrors of 1927. [25] Following this, the band appeared at Rock in Rio festival in May. [26] In June and July, the group went on a mixture of US, European and Canadian shows. In July and August, the group went on a co-headlining US tour with Charli XCX, titled Charli and Jack Do America Tour. [27] On August 12, a music video was released for "Like a River Runs". [28] The group was scheduled to go on a second leg of their tour with Charli XCX in September and October. [27] However, on August 22 it was announced that the leg had been cancelled amid creative and personal differences. [29]

Track listing

All tracks are written by and produced by Jack Antonoff and John Hill, except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Wild Heart" 
3:20
2."Rollercoaster" 
3:08
3."Shadow"
 3:51
4."I Wanna Get Better"  3:24
5."Wake Me"
  • Antonoff
  • Patrik Berger
  • Hill
 2:43
6."Reckless Love"  3:01
7."Take Me Away" (featuring Grimes)
 2:30
8."Like a River Runs" 
  • Hill
  • Antonoff
  • Clarke [a]
3:33
9."You're Still a Mystery"  4:24
10."I'm Ready to Move On / Wild Heart Reprise" (featuring Yoko Ono)
  • Hill
  • Antonoff
  • Clarke [a]
4:11
11."Who I Want You to Love"
  • Antonoff
  • Hill
  • Haynie
 4:50
Total length:38:55

Strange Desire (Japanese Edition)

No.TitleLength
12."I Wanna Get Better (RZA Remix)"3:25
13."I Wanna Get Better (Vince Clarke Remix)"4:33
14."I Wanna Get Better (Demo Version)"2:43
15."Wild Heart (Demo Version)"3:11
16."Reckless Love (Demo Version)"1:52
Total length:54:39

Notes

Personnel

Charts

Strange Desire debuted at No. 11 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 21,000 copies in its first week of release. [30]

Chart (2014)Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Billboard) [31] 19
US Billboard 200 [32] 11
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [33] 2
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [34] 2

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
Australia [35] July 11, 2014 Digital download RCA Records
United States [36] July 15, 2014

Terrible Thrills, Vol. 2

Terrible Thrills, Vol. 2
Compilation album by
Bleachers
ReleasedSeptember 25, 2015
Genre
Label RCA
Bleachers chronology
Strange Desire
(2014)		Terrible Thrills, Vol. 2
(2015)		 Gone Now
(2017)

Terrible Thrills, Vol. 2 is the first compilation album by American indie pop act Bleachers, released on September 25, 2015, as a companion to Strange Desire. [37] The album features every song from Bleachers' debut album covered by female artists, most of which signed with RCA Records. Its title references Terrible Thrills, Vol. 1, a compilation album released in 2010 by Antonoff's previous band Steel Train. [38]

No.TitleFeatured artist(s)Length
1."Wild Heart" Sara Bareilles 2:59
2."Rollercoaster" Charli XCX 3:08
3."Shadow" Carly Rae Jepsen 3:39
4."I Wanna Get Better" Tinashe 3:04
5."Wake Me" Lucius 3:17
6."Reckless Love" Elle King 2:50
7."Take Me Away"
2:29
8."Like a River Runs" Sia 3:58
9."You're Still a Mystery" MØ 3:04
10."I'm Ready to Move On/Wild Heart Reprise" Susanna Hoffs 4:18
11."Who I Want You to Love" Natalie Maines 4:48

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References

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  13. ↑ "Bleachers – Chart History: Rock Songs". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
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