Indie-pop band Bleachers release an album of 11 of their original songs performed by powerful female artists like Sia and Charli XCX
Bleachers just released the album Terrible Thrills Vol. 2, a re-release of all the band's songs off its debut album Strange Desires, except this time each song features a different female artist.
It is available on Google Play for Free. Needless to say, this is the album of my dreams.
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This is not the first time that lead singer Jack Antonoff has collaborated with female artists. Besides collaborating with big names such as Taylor Swift for her hit album 1989, he released Terrible Thrills Vol. 1 with his previous band Steel Train. This album featured female voices such as Scarlett Johansson and Tegan and Sara covering tracks from the band’s self-titled LP.
This album features so many powerful female voices in music, and each song is performed in its original style with the particular artist’s twist.
The first track is “Wild Heart” performed with Sara Bareilles, who added her signature sweet and soulful vocals to the powerful opening song. This is not the first time these two forces have collaborated as Antonoff and Bareilles both wrote Bareilles’s hit song “Brave” in 2013.
My favorite song off Strange Desire is the second track “Rollercoaster” which on Terrible Thrills Vol. 2 is covered by none other than my favorite dream-pop princess Charli XCX.
Charli XCX keeps her quintessential unique vocal sound and heavy guitar sound on this track to really make it her own. Charli XCX and Bleachers previously toured this past summer, before the tour was abruptly canceled after their show in Columbus (which I got to go to, not a big deal or anything.)
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Carly Rae Jepsen (thankfully) makes an appearance on the album, singing the third track “Shadow.” I find this very fitting, as the song is traditionally playful with the vocals and melody. She shows not only her vocal talent, but makes the song sound like it belongs on a Carly Rae Jepsen album.
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Tinashe, actor and R&B vocalist, sings the biggest hit from Strange Desires “I Wanna Get Better.” She keeps the energy of the song the same, while adding her soulful vocals. I think the song sounds so natural coming out of her voice, which was a pleasant surprise since the two artists’ styles are quite different.
“Wake Me” is traditionally a soft romantic song with a powerful vocal crescendo performed by Antonoff. However, indie-pop band Lucius transforms it into an '50s style-Americana love song that sounds like it should be played at a beach wedding or something. This has a lot of elements that are really different from the original, however the core aspects of the song still make it recognizable.
Elle King uses her bluesy voice and combines it with the traditional Bleachers’ electronic sound in her cover of “Reckless Love.” In the traditional and in the Elle King version, there is a use of a choir in the background to really make them cohesive.
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The seventh song is performed by Brooke Candy, a female rapper, and Jack Antonoff’s sister, Rachel Antonoff. The two turn this song, which was originally pretty slow and somber, into an emotional rap, which I think is amazing. The original version of this song featured electronic musician Grimes, so when I saw that Candy performed the cover, I found it humorous. Candy was featured in Grimes’s hit music video for her song “Genesis,” so I naturally got really excited when I made this connection. 
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Sia covers “Like A River Runs” which makes sense, since it’s very emotional and a perfect opportunity for her to hit some serious power notes. She sings it with a little less energy than Antonoff, which really gives you a chance to focus on her ridiculous vocals. I think if Sia and Antonoff ever did a duet of this song, I would melt on the spot. 
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My favorite song off of Terrible Thrills Vol. 2 is performed by MØ, who is another one of my favorite pop artists (I have a lot if you haven’t noticed). MØ always uses layered vocals, which are perfect for her cover of “You’re Still A Mystery.” This song just makes you want to DANCE. Seriously, listen to this song and try not to dance. I dare you.
Susanna Hoffs (yes the girl from The Bangles) performs the second to last song on the album, “I’m Ready to Move On/Wild Heart Reprise.” The original song featured Yoko Ono, and the Bleachers vocals were super robotic, so I thought the version featuring Hoffs was a pleasant new take on the song. Her voice is so innocent and clear, it really gives the song a magical feel as she sings both parts.
The final song of the album is “Who I Want You To Love,” which, in the original version, was a slower-speed song that provided the listener with a positive feeling of closure as the beat transformed and gradually slowed down. On this album, it features Natalie Maines from the Dixie Chicks, and is performed basically the same way and provided me with the same sense of closure. However, the closure really only lasts for a few minutes before I feel the need to start the album all over again. I honestly don’t know if I can stop anytime soon.
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Rating 5/5
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