By: James Southworth
Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Perhaps one of the more polarizing bands of the 2010's is The 1975. There are a lot of people who love them, but there are just as many out there who think they are overrated and overexposed. As for me, I lean a little more towards generally liking the band, though I am not head over heels in love. There's no denying they have some excellent songs on both their first two albums. Some of my favorites by them include "Heart Out", "Chocolate", "She's American", and "The Sound". I generally thought the album "I Like It When You Sleep..." was a pretty solid venture with a lot of creativity and a distinct, unique soundscape. It wasn't perfect, but it had some great gems. So, I was excited to see what The 1975 would do now that lead singer Matty Healy is sober from some really crippling drug addictions. What we get in this third outing is a rather diverse mixture of songs, which makes this album feel like a confusing (but still overall solid) listening experience.
The album starts off like every other 1975 release: with the intro track that has the same name as the band. I like how with every album they manipulate the formula of what they do with the intro. In this case, Matty interestingly includes multiple versions of his voice on top of one another. It makes it sound like there's several clones of him in one room. It's admittedly a bit of a bizarre listen, but I still find it intriguingly likeable. After this we get the lead single "Give Yourself a Try". While I find the static, loudly produced guitar riff a little irritating in how repetitive it is, I still think this song benefits from some solid lyricism. In fact, the lyrics are usually where this album excels more than anything else. This album has a common theme running through it: that the only way we can find hope and positivity in this world is through loving each other and ourselves. This lead single definitely leans into the idea that we should try loving ourselves as we are instead of living up to everyone else's standards. "How to Draw/Petrichor" is one of the most creative songs I've heard all year. It has two distinctive movements, both of which work in their own way. The first half of the song is simply gorgeous, having some sweeping electronic work. Matty's slightly autotuned vocals actually work against this soundscape rather than coming across as irritating. The second half of the song turns into a straight up jam, with booming synths dominating your ears. Matty sounds nearly unrecognizable in this part of this song, using an unsettling but cool lower vocal register. But nothing on this album can compare to "Love It If We Made It", not only the best song on the album but one of my favorite songs of the year. This song sees The 1975 going political, but at the same time not being divisive. The band talks about all sorts of relevant, pressing issues going on in the world. You can feel Healy's despair at all the hatred around the world, as he gives a pretty raw vocal performance here. I love that the chorus exudes hope though, as it plaintively repeats the title of the song over and over. That seems to be this album's cry out, that if we can just come together then we will be able to make it as a society. The guitar work, drumming, and of course the 80's inspired synths all make this song feel like something that could be on "I Like It When You Sleep". Even if you don't hear any other song on this album, at least listen to this one.
"Sincerity Is Scary" sees The 1975 going in a completely different stylistic direction: jazz. It sounds like that shouldn't fit in this album, but it does. The band doing this style isn't super surprising to me, as you've seen certain songs of theirs such as "She's So American" and "If You Believe Me" have jazz influences to them. I adore the trumpet in this song, and the relaxed piano that plays in the background. This song has some of the most compelling lyrics on the album: "And irony is okay, I suppose, culture is to blame/You try and mask your pain in the most postmodern way/You lack substance when you say/Something like, 'Oh, what a shame'". This song directly relates to the title of the album: we often use our online persona to mask who we are so we don't have to legitimately connect with others. This may be a really common theme nowadays, but I think this band addresses it in an interesting way. "The Man Who Married a Robot" brings the weirdness up to a whole new notch, as a British male Siri voice narrates an unsettling story that feels like it came right out of the TV show "Black Mirror". And I love every second of it. I think this song is integral to the album, as it is a metaphorical story about how the Internet can destroy human connection when it's taken to an extreme. Things stay unsettling with "Inside Your Mind", a beautifully creepy ballad about Matty wanting to know every inner thought of a girl he likes. The song is blackly comedic, as Matty as a sort of self-realization that this level of obsession is unhealthy. The theme of obsession that permeates this middle part of the album continues with "It's Not Living (If It's Not With You)", which is the most 1975-sounding track here. It is deceptively upbeat, even though it depicts in heart-breaking detail how Healy used to be obsessed with heroin. It's a criminally catchy track that is also thought provoking. The album ends off great with the wonderful power ballad "I Couldn't Be More In Love" and the poignantly hopeful "I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)".
For all the great stuff that appears on this album (with some of the songs being among The 1975's best work to date), there is unfortunately a good amount of weak material as well. Like I mentioned earlier, generally this album feels a little bit disjointed. Even with songs I like, the transitions between them can feel jarring. This is especially the case for something like "How to Draw" going into "Love It If We Made It". There are many songs here that just don't really work. I hate the track "TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME". The song is just as idiotic as its title. It has Matty in a droning autotuned voice the whole time. It sounds disconnected, and also like every other throwaway pop track that appears on the Billboard Hot 100. The lyrics aren't very compelling either, detailing a hookup in the most cliched way possible. It's probably one of the worst songs of the year. I also really can't stand "I Like America & America Likes Me", which is apparently the band celebrating Soundcloud rap. Why such an awful subset of music deserves praise is beyond me. I'll give the song credit: it does sound like every other cheaply produced Soundcloud track out there. That's a real shame coming from a band who's always sounded clean and interesting in the production department. There are some ballads on this album, like "Be My Mistake" and "Surrounded By Heads and Bodies". They aren't necessarily horrible, but they do feel a bit too generic for my taste. They especially don't fit in an album that is overall very experimental. They break the pace of the album and are honestly tracks I'll probably skip over in the future.
Overall, "A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships" is about the same in quality to me as The 1975's other albums. Like their other two albums, this release has some excellent songs that deserve recognition. But also like their other albums, this one has some songs that are either forgettable or make you wonder what exactly the band was thinking when in the process of making them. Still, at the end of the day, this release does see the band continuing to expand their craft and becoming more creative. Though it's not as good as "I Like It When You Sleep...", I would say it's better than their debut. I'm very interested to see where The 1975 go from here. They have another album coming out next year. Like this one, I'd be willing to bet one should go in expecting the unexpected. Check this release out if you haven't. There are many tracks worthy of your time, and the listening experience is certainly an interesting one.
Favorite Songs: "Love It If We Made It", "It's Not Living (If It's Not With You)", "Sincerity Is Scary", "Inside Your Mind", "How to Draw/Petrichor"
Least Favorite Songs: "TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME", "I Love America & America Loves Me", "Be My Mistake"
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