Jack Antonoff explains how he deliberately messes up tracks that are too perfectly programmed. Once a song locks into a tight grid, he goes looking for ways to throw it off just enough to feel human again.
His go-to moves include staticky, sloppy baritone guitar lines that trail behind the beat, a Moog run through delay for little unpredictable hits, and telling drummers to abandon the arrangement and just play fills. None of it is meant to loosen the groove itself, just to remind the listener the track isn't living entirely on a grid.
Antonoff also builds what he calls vibe tracks: layers across totally different instruments that aren't playing parts so much as adding texture and feel. He compares the effect to a band warming up like an orchestra, all that loose, imperfect energy sitting underneath the tight arrangement and giving it character.