How does one of the music industry’s most successful pop producers, simultaneously become one of the most hated producers by critics and fans alike? The recent criticism of Jack Antonoff’s production style raises this question.
With the release of Taylor Swift’s most recent album, The Tortured Poets Department, the distaste for Antonoff’s distinctive sound has only been further sparked amongst audiences. Critics and Swifties alike have found Swift’s new album to be overall underwhelming and sonically dull, possessing a sound that us Swifties already know all too well.
Swift is not the first artist to come under fire for releasing an Antonoff-produced album that sounds too “boring”. Take Lorde’s Solar Power or Lana Del Rey’s Chemtrails Over The Country Club for example, two albums that have faced similar criticism. Many claim that Antonoff’s signature sound is too bland, and that he is flattening the sound of the numerous female artists that he works with.
Recently, I was scrolling through TikTok and stumbled across a video that labeled this trend of mainstream pop music sounding underproduced and minimalistic, the “Jack Antonoff Effect”. The excessive Antonoff hate I have been seeing online has made me curious to see if the question really stands true: is Jack Antonoff really responsible for the supposed dullness of today’s pop music?
The Antonoff-ication of pop
Most people who are familiar with Jack Antonoff’s sound know an Antonoff-produced record when they hear one. One can usually identify an Antonoff-produced track by its nostalgic 80’s synths and an all-encompassing indie pop sound. There is no doubt that this particular sound has become more popular in today’s mainstream music. Just turn on a radio and you’ll find that most of the pop songs you hear include these sonic elements.
Considering Antonoff’s prominence in the music industry, it would make sense that his style has had major influence on mainstream music. Not to mention the fact that Antonoff has produced and co-wrote records with some of the most influential artists of the past decade including Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, Lorde, and The 1975.
I believe that the nostalgic and minimalistic sonic elements of Antonoff’s music are what makes listeners feel as though his produced tracks are unoriginal, because it is a sound that has been heard many times before. While I agree that there is homogeny amongst a majority of Antonoff’s tracks, I wouldn’t necessarily label him as a “bad” producer, or find him responsible for “ruining pop music”. It is important to take Antonoff’s success and capability of producing a hit song into account, as he is a grammy-award winning artist, songwriter, musician, and producer with years of experience.
what the artists have to say
Despite the growing hatred of Antonoff’s style, it is apparent that the artists that have worked with him only have positive things to say.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, frontman of The 1975, Matty Healy, has previously stated, “I think that guy has a reputation for being busy, but I can tell you, he’s just good”. According to Healy, Antonoff may have a large impact on the industry, but for good reason.
Taylor Swift has also spoke highly of Antonoff on multiple occasions, one of them being during her 2023 MTV VMA’s acceptance speech. “I’m really really lucky that I get to write songs with one of my best friends in the world,” Swift explained, praising Antonoff.
After the release of Lorde’s Solar Power, Antonoff received backlash for underproducing the album, as many of the tracks were described to have the classic, minimalistic Jack Antonoff sound. However, Lorde quickly shut down critics by pointing out the inherent misogyny in giving Antonoff all the credit for fabricating the sound of her album.
“I haven’t made a Jack Antonoff record,” Lorde told a New York Times reporter. “I’ve made a Lorde record he’s helped me make it and very much deferred to me on production and arrangement. Jack would agree with this. To give him that amount of credit is frankly insulting.”
Lorde’s statement proves that the artists that work with Antonoff have autonomy in the studio, and that the sound of the record is ultimately in the hands of the artist. In this light, we can see that Antonoff is no more than a helping hand in the creative process of the artists that he works with, and blaming him alone for the “flattening” of mainstream pop music is a stretch.
the importance of preference
At the end of the day, what really makes a song good or bad is personal preference, and the recent distaste for Antonoff’s production style is proof of this. Antonoff’s numerous achievements within the past few years have shown his undeniable talent as a songwriter, musician, artist, and producer. If you’re personally not a fan of Antonoff’s sound, there’s no shame in having an opinion, but hating his sonic choices does not make Antonoff responsible for making pop music dull.
If you don’t like an Antonoff-produced track, you’re better off criticizing the artist, not the producer.
Can’t get enough of HC Umass Amherst? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and read our latest Tweets!