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The 1975: A Track By Track Album Review

It is safe to say this album went above and beyond my expectations.

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The 1975: A Track By Track Album Review
The 1975

Published by Good Soldiers Song Limited, "I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It" is The 1975’s sophomore album that was released on February 26, 2016. With incredible song-to-song transitions and dismal, yet occasionally comical, lyrics, it is safe to say this album went above and beyond my expectations.

1. The 1975

Starting the album with a track called "The1975" (the same title as the first track on the first album) to me seems like the band’s way of saying, “Hey, this is a new era for us and our music might sound different, but we’re still the same band.” The beginning of the track even sounds very similar to the beginning of the first “The 1975.”

Favorite lyric: “Step into your skin? I’d rather jump into your bones.”

2. "Love Me"

The band’s first single was a shock to many fans, a groovy beat that almost sounds as if it could replace “Fame” on David Bowie’s "Young Americans" album (which, fun fact, came out in 1975). This fun, upbeat tempo that has you moving your feet is about self-awareness, as lead singer Matty Healy says, “I’m just making an observation on the glaringly obvious superficial elements that surround my life and the kind of culture that I feed into.”

Favorite lyric: “You look famous, let’s be friends and portray we possess something important.”

3. "UGH!"

Arguably a Chocolate 2.0 (both songs are about substance abuse), "UGH!" uses groovy guitar strokes and electronic beats to get an 80’s techno vibe. Though it might seem like a dance song, the lyrics are the opposite of upbeat, describing the comedown from a high and the side effects of it, but as Outkast once said, “Y’all don’t want to hear me, you just want to dance.”

Favorite lyric: “Oh, the kick won’t last for long, but the song only lasts three minutes. I think I lost my phone so won’t you call it up for me?”

4. "A Change Of Heart"

The 1975 takes a turn by slowing their next track down with "A Change Of Heart". This nostalgic song references old songs from their first album. In the band’s song “Robbers”, Healy sings, “She had a face straight out a magazine, God only knows but you’ll never leave her,” to which he replies with "A Change Of Heart" saying, “You used to have a face straight out a magazine, now you just look like anyone.” Similar parallels include lyrics from “The City” where Healy sings, “You wanna find love then you know where the city is,” to which he responds, “I never found love in the city.” Lastly, in response to The 1975’s song “Sex” when Healy sings, “And this is how it starts, you take your shoes off in the back of my van,” "A Change Of Heart" retorts, “Then she said, ‘I’ve been so worried about you lately, you were fit but you’re losing it.’ ‘You played a part, this is how it starts.’” As one of my favorite songs on the album, I think Healy’s merged lyrics of his old songs versus his new songs represent the “change of heart” in their new music. Someone give this band a round of applause for being such lyrical geniuses.

Favorite lyric: “You said I’m full of diseases, your eyes were full of regret. And then you took a picture of your salad and put it on the Internet.”

5. "She's American"

Much like other songs of The 1975, “She’s American” starts with low music that gradually crescendos up to a drum fill and then sparks a funky guitar riff that continues throughout the song. With the lyrics, “Look he’s having a breakdown! Oh what a let down, a shame, I think he might die!” Healy references the breakdown he had on stage in Boston on December 6, 2014. The song could be seen as comical (or even insulting to American girls) when Healy sings, “If she likes it ‘cause we just don’t eat and we’re so intelligent, she’s American. If she says, ‘I’ve got to fix my teeth,’ then she’s so American.” This references the cultural differences and values between Brits and Americans (Americans tend to care more about fixing their teeth, and also find people with British accents to be intelligent).

Favorite lyric: “Don’t fall in love with the moment and think you’re in love with the girl.”

6. "If I Believe You"

Opening the song with the lyric, “I’ve got a God-shaped hole that’s infected,” Healy states that he has a space for wanting religion in his mind, but it is infected, as in he cannot find something to believe in. In an interview with Joiz, Healy says that he “envies the faithful as he wishes he could have something to believe in.” Ironically, the sixth track has a very jazz heavy and gospel-influenced melody with a brass instrument interlude and a choir as back up vocals throughout, despite being about his atheist views and struggles with religion.

Favorite lyric: “I mean, if it was you that made my body you probably shouldn’t have made me atheist.”

7. "Please Be Naked"

This slow, mellow, serene and continuous piano riff serves as an instrumental interlude between the first half of the album and the second. The word “naked” could also be interpreted as “stripped down,” which is symbolic of how the song is stripped down to just an instrumental as opposed to all the techno beats and guitar riffs and lyrics of the rest of the songs on the album.


8. "Lostmyhead"

This eighth track preludes the next song, “Ballad Of Me And My Brain.” With the only lyrics being, “And you said I’ve lost my head, can you see it” and “Belly aches while you’re in bed, can you feel it” this song could have the same interpretation as the next track. Also, the first line of this track matches the last line of “Facedown,” a track off their first album, The 1975.

Favorite lyric: “You said I’ve lost my head, can you see it?”

9. "Ballad Of Me And My Brain"

Beginning with a creepy, not-so-angelic falsetto “angel choir” (or, something you might hear in a church hymn) met by a few keyboard notes and a drumbeat, Healy comes in yelling, “Well I think I’ve gone mad! Isn’t that so sad?” Although it is one of the shorter songs on the album, it follows a similar pattern of an upbeat tune with sad lyrics. His vocals- the way he yells with an almost nervous or anxious sounding tone- can portray how Healy is explaining that he’s gone mad, much like other artists that are thrust into the spotlight. In this song, the protagonist is trying to remember where he left his brain. Although the deeper meaning is pretty heavy, Healy uses a comical approach to dealing with his mental illness.

Favorite lyric: “Would you sign an autograph for my daughter Laura? ‘Cause she adores you but I think you’re sh*t.”

10. "Somebody Else"

With a subtle beat from the keyboard, Healy comes in with an ethereal voice, light and delicate, unlike the previous song. As a nod to The Beatle’s “I’m Looking Through You,” which has a similar meaning as “Somebody Else,” Healy sings, “I’m looking through you while you’re looking through your phone and then leaving with somebody else.” While many of the other songs of the 1975 are about physical attraction, "Somebody Else" contrasts that idea in the sense that Healy seems to be attracted to the woman in an emotional way. If you’re looking for a fast tempo but mellow break up song, this is it.

Favorite lyric: “I took all my things that make sounds, the rest I can do without.”

11. "Loving Someone"

This electronic beat-filled track is one of the most innovative tracks on the album. Healy sings quickly but steadily with a beat-poetry feel to it. The lyrics on this track reference the media and society today with lines such as “Just keep holding their necks and keep selling them sex, it’s better if we keep them perplexed” (addressing the media’s use of sex to sell their products) and “Even Guy Debord needed spectacles” (a social theorist on mass media who said our relationship to people is defined by our relationship to media). Toward the end of the song, the lyrics are no longer sang but are rather just spoken words which feeds in even more to the sound of beat poetry in this track.

Favorite lyric: “We’re all human, we’re just like you man.”

12. "I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware"

Both the longest track title and the longest song on the album (at six minutes and 26 seconds), the twelfth track starts with layered techno beats. Much like the song from their first album, “Menswear,” this song has a long, continuous intro and very few lyrics. In the middle of the song there is a small break, in which the music picks back up and continues as an instrumental for the duration of the song. This seems to be an experimental and original piece to The 1975 with a song title that could easily be the title of a Fall Out Boy song in 2005.

Favorite lyric: “Before you go (please don’t go), turn the big light off.”

13. "The Sound"

Definitely my personal favorite off the album, "The Sound" starts off with a gradual increase of the sound of a guitar and a keyboard and a repeated, slightly muffled, lyric, “Well I know when you’re around ‘cause I know the sound, I know the sound of your heart.” This is a fun, upbeat song with both good vibrations and comical lyrics. The song is very clearly about a superficial relationship with the lyric, “You’re so conceited, I said ‘I love you,’ what does it matter if I lie to you,” which implies how both parties of the relationship are narcissistic and hypocritical. Compared to the other songs on the album, "The Sound" has a much lighter and more fun tone to it. Rather than making you think, this song makes you want to get up on your feet and dance.

Favorite lyric: “It’s not about reciprocation it’s just all about me, a sycophantic, prophetic, Socratic junkie wannabe.”

14. "This Must Be My Dream"

This drum-heavy and pop-sounding song has an almost nostalgic feel to it, especially when the saxophone breaks in for an interlude much like songs in their first album. While this song isn’t my favorite, it’s a fun beat to jam to and has a catchy chorus.

Favorite lyric: “Well I thought it was love, but I guess I must be dreaming ‘bout feeling something instead of you.”

15. "Paris"

With an instrumental that sounds like it could almost be a product of The Police and downhearted lyrics, Healy’s dulcet and melodic voice contributes to the despondent theme of the song. Though the beat is fast-paced and somewhat positive, the lyrics are the opposite (which is a reoccurring theme amongst 1975 songs). The chorus, “But how I’d love to be in Paris again,” seems to imply that Paris held better times for the narrator.

Favorite lyric: “She’s a pain in the nose and I’m a pain in women’s clothes and you’re a walking overdose in a great coat.”

16. "Nana"

Much, much different from the 1975’s usual sound, "Nana" is very stripped down to the point of just an acoustic guitar and Healy’s voice. This mournful track seems to pay homage to his late grandmother. With touching lyrics such as, “I wish you’d walk in again, imagine if you just did, I’d fill you in on the things you missed,” and, “It’s not the same when I scratch my own head, I haven’t got the nails for it,” this song could easily relate to anyone who has lost someone important in their life.

Favorite lyric: “Made in this room, this simple tune will always keep me close to you. The crowds will sing, their voices ring, and it’s like you never left.”

17. "She Lays Down"

Another acoustic and the last song on the album, "She Lays Down" is arguably the saddest song. This song is said to be about Healy’s mother’s postpartum depression. In the second verse, Healy sings, “My hair is brown, she’s scared to touch and she just wants to feel something. And I don’t think that’s asking for too much and when I go to sleep it’s whens he begins to weep.” Then, at the end of the song, the acoustic guitar stops and there is a silent, pregnant pause. Then, Healy’s voice says, “That was it.” This comment breaks the fourth wall and tells the listener that that’s it to the album. You’ve heard it all, you’ve heard his life and his feelings, and that was it.

Favorite lyric: "Even though her sun is gone she'd like to love her child nevertheless."

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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