British alternative rock band The 1975 has carved out a space in a world that’s entirely its own. Frontman Matt Healy’s mysteriously eccentric attitude is ingrained in the group from its music to the clothes its members wear, marking the whole band as some kind of mascot for the indescribable teen.
Members George Daniel, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald have been beside Healy since the band’s formation in 2002. The peculiar name comes from some scribbles on the back page of an old Kerouac poetry book that said “1 June, The 1975.”
The band’s sophomore album, which came out on Friday, is ludicrously titled “I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it.” The 17-track record is an approximate 75 minutes long.
The first track is aptly called “The 1975,” recognizable because it was the first track on the premiere album. It’s much the same, but has darker, eerier background vocals that keep the song at a high register as Healy crones, “Step into your skin? I’d rather jump in your bones.”
“Love Me,” the second track and first single, shows just how much pop the band has ingrained into the album. It’s very ‘80s with a loud, echoing guitar and repetitive lyrics that are sarcastic, but catchy. The song itself seems to be a critique on the sudden fame of the band. “Reading ‘bout yourself / On a plane, fame, what a shame,” Healy sings.
From the fourth track on, things start to get more complex. “A Change of Heart” is a follow-up to a first-album favorite, “Robbers.” Like “Robbers,” the song is smooth, like an ‘80s love song played over a jukebox. The lyrics are harsh, yet Healy’s melodic voice fools you into thinking he’s being sweet. “You used to have a face straight out of a magazine / Now you just look like anyone” and, “I never found love in the city / I just sat in self-pity and cried in the car” are direct references to songs from the first album.
But the similarities between the two albums do not end there. Several songs are reminiscent of the first album, posing the following question: Have we heard this before?
“She’s American” sounds so much like “Settle Down” from the first album that they might even have the same hook. “Please Be Naked,” the first of two instrumental tracks, is similar to “An Encounter” from the first album, complete with strange whooshes and soft melodies.
The title track is an unnecessarily long instrumental piece and is much like the title itself in length. It doesn’t make much sense, but then again, that’s probably not the band’s intention. However, the following track “The Sound,” redeems the album following the title track. It is the most single-worthy song on the record. It is the perfect balance of pop and rock, strange lyrics and dance hooks.
The album then takes a personal turn. The final two tracks in particular are rawer than anything the band has produced before. “Nana” begins with gentle guitar and quiet lyrics that are about Healy’s grandmother dying. “She Lays Down” is even more intimate and almost sounds like a live performance as Healy sings about his alcoholic mother who is “appalled by never loving me at all.”
In an interview with The Fader, Healy said, “I called my record something which, at face value, reads like teenage emo notebook scribbling … It’s a long album, but it’s my life.”
Through “I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it,” Healy has been able to consolidate his 26 years of life into approximately 75 minutes and 17 songs. The songs are clearly the embodiment of Healy as he takes you into his world, allowing you to experience his highs and lows. Afterward, you’re left reeling in the aftermath.
