Outrageous, bizarre and utterly ridiculous.
Watching The 1975 grow has been an incredible roller-coaster ride. From the four EP’s released before their debut album, filled with ethereal beauty it gave early signs that this was a band with the right influences to do something against the grain of typical pop music.
Their self-titled debut album was fantastic, drawing sounds reminiscent of 80’s high school movie soundtracks, yet still making them sound so current. However, it also sounded like a band fighting to find its identity. ‘Sex’ was guitar-rock all over, even encouraging a mosh pit or two – whereas the rest of the album was much more pop oriented. Whatever sound The 1975 were aiming for, they dug their teeth in and left their own brand on it.
I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It (I think I’ll stick to I Like It When You Sleep…), is an album full of curve balls from a band who clearly don’t want to be labelled as predictable. In a day and age where bands are criticised for releasing an album too similar to their previous, yet simultaneously get the same grief if they change their sound too much, The 1975’s new album was always going to divide opinion.
Album opener, annoyingly titled ‘The 1975‘ – the exact same title given to their debut’s opening track – signals early on the direction that this album is heading. Matt Healy and co are going for it, and gospel vocals accompany Healy in what is a real throwback to their early EP’s. Electronic noises dissipate as ‘Love Me’ and all of its David Bowie Fame-era guitar work come out in full force. It’s probably the biggest pop song the band have ever released, with an infectious synth added for good measure.
The 1975 are insanely smart and talented musicians, they know what they’re doing and why they’re doing it. However, on I Like It When You Sleep… at times the band are too ambitious to even be taken seriously, especially with the D’Angelo sounding ‘If I Believe You’. Despite Healy showing off his impressive vocal range, it sounds more like a cover than a The 1975 song. Then following a four-minute instrumental, The 1975 take on M83 and all of their electronic stadium filling goodness with ‘Lostmyhead’. It’s interesting, the song is great, building pace through distorted guitars and Healy’s hushed vocals, until it reaches an excellent climax – which includes some beautifully stringed notes. It just doesn’t sound like The 1975, and it’s totally alien to have a song like this four minutes after ‘If I Believe You’.
Ironically, where the album works best is when they draw on sounds from the previous album, yet expand on them. ‘The Ballad of Me and My Brain’ is excellent, showing the bands progression from the last album but most notably, Healy’s vocals which sound harsh as he sings about losing his mind. ‘This Must Be My Dream’ uses the same formula, with verses so sharp they could cut through concrete. Healy sings about how it “takes a certain type of girl, to put my heart under arrest, so why is this feeling in my chest?”. The song even features a smooth saxophone solo, something reminiscent of their previous album.
‘Somebody Else’ is a gorgeous 80’s ballad, with Healy’s voice sounding so vulnerable singing “I don’t want your body, but I hate to think about you with somebody else” in what is lyrically the strongest song on the album. The guitars are once again replaced by a pulsating synth, but in truth it’s the pitch-perfect vocals that carry it.
When it comes to The 1975, it’s hard to ignore their previous releases when talking about I Like It When You Sleep…, especially when it comes to consistency and the clear lack of it on this album. It’s a mixed bag this time around from The 1975. There is definitely no doubting their ambition with this album, but it trips over itself all too often. They knew exactly what the reception this album would get – way before they even recorded it. Unfortunately despite the bravery it shows, it’s so off kilter you will find yourself skipping through songs until you find the ones you like.
Words by Jordan Gillen