By Cameron Erickson, Staff Writer
(Click here to listen to the album!)
The 1975 have established themselves as arguably the most versatile band out there with the release of their new album: A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships. The record jumps around from various genres such as: bubblegum-pop, UK garage music, classic jazz, acoustic ballads and early 2000’s alternative rock.
It tells a consistent narrative throughout, speaking on society’s impeccable obsession with technology, and the loneliness that the internet has placed on our culture. But it’s not only that, it’s about the human condition and how we as a people interact with each other and cope with living in a non-stop progressing world.
Opening with the same title track ‘’The 1975’’ as the previous two albums, this new rendition provides a foresight into what’s expected to come. Thunderous robotic vocals from Matt Healy boom ‘’Go down / soft sound.’’
Distorted guitars reign in the lead single ‘’Give Yourself A Try.’’ With each time the same riff is repeated, it brings a new layer of melodics to the song.
Tropical, party tune; ‘’TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME’’ is a fun, and safe pop number, but contains a deeper message about toxicity in a relationship due to the temptations of social media relationships.
Experimental, electronica ‘’How To Draw / Petrichor’’ changes the tide as the fourth track listed on the album. Dark undertones, and synths guide the song, reminiscing back on sounds from the early EP’s of The 1975.
Then comes a seamless transition into the cornerstone of the album: ‘’Love It If We Made It.’’
The most important song that The 1975 have ever made lands as the fifth track on the new LP. An objective social commentary about modernity’s collapse on society. Instrumentation done by producing master and drummer George Daniel mixes in sounds of early The 1975 and future ideas, establishing it as something new but familiar.
Followed by the heart-wrenching acoustic ‘’Be My Mistake’’ is so gentle and honest it will bring you to tears. A breaking ballad about on-tour loneliness and infidelity.
‘’Sincerity Is Scary’’ blames culture for its ironic tendencies to ‘’mask your pain in the most postmodern way.’’ A definitive jazz-bop that can’t contain you from dancing around to the chaotic beat.
‘’Would you please listen?’’ Healy pleads on the Kayne-infused trap banger ‘’I Like America & America Likes Me.’’
Don’t forget about the laughable yet hauntingly beautiful song that is ‘’The Man Who Married A Robot / Love Theme.’’ Narrated by a British male Siri telling the tale of a lonely, lonely man named @SnowflakeSmasher86. The track is layered with beautiful piano chords and overlapping strings. The story hits a dramatic conclusion as the instrumental entices and steals the rest of the song away.
‘’Inside Your Mind’’ mixes violence in romance to create a collected, calm ballad up until the chorus hits as the prominent guitar adds an anxiety that Healy expresses as he repeats ‘’Inside your mind.’’
Now comes ‘’the big heroin one’’ frontman Healy describes it as. A guitar, pop, banger. A sound The 1975 have mastered from their sophomore album. ‘’It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You) puts itself in as an instant classic without further evaluation.
Low point of the record is the stripped back ‘’Surrounded by Heads and Bodies.’’ The song is not a failure in its intentions but is majorly overlooked by the latter songs on the album.
If any artist knows how to switch up genres mid album best, it’s The 1975.
Classic jazz track ‘’Mine’’ throws a wild curveball. Debating whether commitment is right for the 29-year old singer: ‘’He should settle down and find himself a wife / But I’m just fine cause I know that you are mine.’’
Continued by the 80’s disguised love ballad ‘’I Couldn’t Be More in Love.’’ An ode to the dedicated fan base of The 1975. Matty fears of losing his listeners one day as he belts ‘’What about these feelings I’ve got? / we got it wrong and you said you’d had enough.’’
The cathartic closer ‘’I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)’’ is a massive anthem. Healy deals with suicidal upbringings in the falsetto chorus when he cries ‘’I always wanna die, sometimes’’ leaving the album off on a hopeful connotation.
The album presents itself with weighted significance in a generation-defining piece of artwork that deserves to be heard from all corners of the world. Humanity is displayed in all its beauty and flaws through 15 tracks that make up A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships.
Rating: 4.5/5
Essential tracks:
- ‘’Love It If We Made It’’
- ‘’It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)’’
- ‘’Be My Mistake’’
- ‘’I Like America & America Likes Me’’
- ‘’I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)’’