Bleachers, the van | Song Review

With their reminiscent song “the van,” Bleachers delivers another engaging advance single from their sixth studio album, everyone for ten minutes.

Don’t forget the beginning portion of that lyric – it recurs throughout “the van”.  Following “you and forever” and “dirty wedding dress”, “the van” is the third single and second track from Bleachers’ 2026 album, everyone for ten minutes (arriving May 6). Antonoff composed the record with Bobby Eli, Mikey Freedom Hart, John Freeman, and Vinnie Barrett.  There are a couple more writers than usual for good reason…

“The van” is striking from the jump.  During the intro, the listener is introduced to pummeling drums and nostalgic, soulful music cues. Beyond the stellar instrumental moments, Jack’s sung “ba-ba-ba-ba(s)” are a vibe in their own right. Those soulful instrumental and vocal cues arrive courtesy of a soul classic, “Just Don’t Want to Be Lonely” by Blue Magic, which is sampled (Barrett and Eli composed the 1974 gem).  Antonoff delivers an intriguing vocal performance.  Sometimes he sings, and at other times, he talks-sings rhythmically.  It is an interesting cadence and flow.  In this memory song, Jack remembers his early days in the 2000s, playing in bands in the first verse. Memorably, he gives us a fun fact: “All Jersey kids, we never learn to pump gas.” It’s true – there is a self-service gas ban in New Jersey. In the second verse, he continues to be reflective.  “I think some of us need to chip away what we don’t understand,” he sings, and adds, “So we drove back from the west with our new religion/ One-way tickets in heart and in hand / Said fuck anything in my way, this is forever now / And just like that, everything changed.” Fuck yeah, Jack! In the first chorus, he references the van twice, most notably, “Glory to the ones who know the van, oh, oh, oh / Glory to the ones on the edge / I just don’t wanna be lonely, I just don’t wanna be.”  The second iteration of the chorus features slightly different lyrics, referencing ‘she’. Who is she? Jack’s wife, actress Margaret Qualley.  All told, “the van” marks another engaging, unique record from Bleachers.  The production, sound, theme, lyrics, and Antonoff’s distinct vocal performance make this joint stand out.

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Bleachers » everyone for ten minutes » Dirty Hit » 5.22.26 [📷: Dirty Hit]

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