Moving love ballad appears on band’s upcoming album Everyone for Ten Minutes
It may sound funny, but Jack Antonoff plays both harpsichord and a Dobro (one of those funky acoustic guitars with a hubcap in the middle) on Bleachers‘ new single “I’m Not Joking.” The maudlin song, whose lyrics too sincere to be funny, will appear on the group’s upcoming Everyone for Ten Minutes, out May 22. “I’m not joking,” Antonoff sings to his love, “It was love at first sight, good Lord, I found you.”
The song ambles along, recalling both Seventies commercial lite rock thanks to Mikey Freedom-Hart’s Hammond playing and Neil Young’s “Down by the River,” with its falsetto “la-la-la” refrain, in a good way, and we’re not joking. Throughout, Antonoff defines himself as not being the type of guy to rehash pickup lines, ask about his lover’s previous dudes, or tell her what to do. “All of that fear comes out in the big wash,” he sings at the end, and adds, “I’m not joking at all,” as the harpsichord rises in the mix.
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Bleaches previously released the Everyone for Ten Minutes singles “The Van,” “You and Forever” (the video for which starred Antonoff’s wife, actress Magaret Qualley), and “Dirty Wedding Dress.” Regarding the direction of the album, Bleachers collectively commented in April: “Despite the moments where it briefly peers into darkness, it’s essentially an optimistic record that feels lovestruck and hopeful, leaping from harmony-laden folk rock to shimmering pop soul to the sax-assisted New Jersey sound that Bleachers have become synonymous for.”
A couple of days before the album comes out, the band will kick off Rolling Stone’s 2026 Rock Tour, with support from Been Stellar and Thomas Dollbaum, in New Orleans on May 20. Details for the future stops of the Rock Tour will be announced at a later date. And we wouldn’t joke about that.
