By Karen Glauber
Ted and I have enjoyed playing the new Bleachers’ record to radio these past few weeks. The response to the single “Modern Girl” has been fantastic, with the initial response of “FUN!” coming from the lips of most programmers. It’s all gone swimmingly, except for the reaction of a couple of nameless PDs, who tend to be averse to most things “fun.” I get it, guys. Fun hasn’t been high on the agenda for the past four years. Still, I’ve been bouncing around to “Modern Girl” in my office, looking forward to working this project and hanging with Jack Antonoff. I grew up across the border from New Jersey (I collected tolls on the bridge crossing the Delaware River heading into Pennsylvania), and I’m pretty sure our musical DNA is similar.
The single came out on 9/20, but we held it back because of the newest from juggernaut blink-182, “One More Time,” a musical journey through the bandmembers’ most impactful moments. It’s emotionally heavy and a quick trip to #1 at the format, once Foo Fighters enjoy their stay at the top with “Under You.” This is good for the format: Huge artists with new music—can’t beat it. You know what else helps the format? Hit songs. Måneskin’s latest, “HONEY (ARE U COMING?),” is another in a series of hit songs that have elevated the band to “core” level in a few years’ time. They played the Palladium the last time they were in L.A. In a few weeks, they’ll play a sold-out show at the Forum! Madison Square Garden in NYC last Thursday night!
It took Ted and me four attempts to give The 1975 a big hit in the U.S. We came close with “I’m in Love With You.” The band is returning for another arena tour, and one song has stood out since day one. “About You” is the closest song in terms of crowd reaction and consumption that the band has had since “Somebody Else”—let’s go!
Congrats to Buddy Deal on Hollywood’s first #1 of this millennium with Little Image’s “Out of My Mind.” Buddy promised us a parade… Soon, once all the BIG RECORDS have been added, there will be time for you to look back on records you missed or just didn’t have room for. For example, Royel Otis’ “Sofa King” on AWAL—I love this song so much! Another record to dig into is the latest from Arlo Parks, “Devotion,” which will likely get a Grammy nod or two (or three). Also, I can’t imagine the Grammys ignoring The National, who have the biggest Triple A record of the year. Have you looked at the consumption on Zach Bryan? Have you heard “Spotless,” his collaboration with The Lumineers? It sounds, well, just like The Lumineers. As deep as everybody has gone this year into the pop-punk-emo realm, there’s a massive part of your audience that loves The Lumineers, Noah Kahan, Zach Bryan, etc.
Congrats to Mike Kaplan on his new gig as PD at WRFF, where he and Amber Miller will be working together. Cue “Phillies Fever” as he enters the building!
Many have written condolences about Jonathan L. this week. I met Jonathan in Phoenix in the late ’80s at QFest, which I remember vividly because Tim Finn tried to tell me that his girlfriend didn’t look too great in the morning, not realizing that I knew that Greta Scacchi, one of the most gorgeous women on the planet, was the one he was throwing under the bus for my attention. Jonathan rescued me and we had the first of many conversations about bands we loved. Even when Jonathan and I worked for competing trade magazines, I always rooted for him. He and his wife Gaby dropped by HITS pre-pandemic—he saw the sign outside and decided to say hello. He found someone and lived the life he wanted to have. Only happy thoughts.
SONG TO HEAR: AJR’s “Yes I’m a Mess.” (out on 9/29).
