bleachers chinatown bruce springsteen

Bruce Springsteen sings on Bleachers' new single "Chinatown" (listen)

Jack Antonoff will release his next Bleachers album next year and while details are fuzzy, he’s just released a song from it — “chinatown,” featuring vocals from fellow NJ native Bruce Springsteen. The song was already pretty anthemic, but the Boss kicks it up into stadium territory. “It’s the honor of a lifetime to be joined by him,” Jack said in a statement. “He is the artist who showed me that the sound of the place I am from has value and that there is a spirit here that needs to be taken all over the world.”

Antonoff was on Zane Lowe’s Apple Music show on Monday (11/16) to talk about working with Bruce. “If I’m going to have Bruce on there, he’s going to be in there loud and proud. I’m from this place and there’s very few people, you know well, because I think, I hope this doesn’t offend you, but I think there’s similarity to New Zealand and New Jersey, which is that – Well, New Zealand is number one most beautiful place in the world. New Jersey has often been looked at different… there’s these places that have very specific tone. You grow up with a sound and it’s in you, and there’s people who hold that torch, and you just want to learn from them and understand, that’s Bruce. His experience is one that, in his lyrics, obviously, are some of the darkness and the hope I relate to, but I also relate to the landscape. I know that this place, it’s a funny place.”

Bleachers have also released a b-side, titled “45,” which Jack says will also be on the new album. You can watch the video for “chinatown” and listen to “45” below.

Bruce Springsteen plays the virtual Stand Up for Heroes benefit this Wednesday.