The highly anticipated debut album from the Manchester four-piece has already hit No. 1 on the UK Album Chart; but does it deserve it?
The 1975 have done something pretty unique by opting for an eponymous opening track for their eponymous first record, and it really sets the tone for the rest of the record as an explosive instant hit. Singles ‘The City’, ‘Chocolate’ and ‘Sex’ give a great insight into what the band can produce whilst ‘Settle Down’ screams of teenage angst, unrequited love and desire with lyrics like “I’m so fixated on the girl with the soft sound / And hair all over the place”.
But despite lyrics of romance, love and longing the band don’t see this as a reason to make a downbeat track, and instead power through such themes with a seemingly trademark positivity, which has to be admired. The only signal that these lyrics have been felt by the band themselves is the emotion which seeps through the uniquely modern sound of [lead singer] Matthew Healy’s voice.
The beautifully surprising ‘Is There Anybody That Can Watch You’ shows the vulnerability of the band which has been alluded to, but never articulated. Such a track draws similarities with James Blake; a disjointed and emotionally charged beauty of a record-closer.
The 1975 succinctly create one pop song after the next, with influences from a multitude of genres keeping their music interesting and slightly off kilter from the rest of the pop circuit. ‘Heart Out’ wouldn’t sound out of place on the soundtrack to an eighties cult film, with a gloriously funky guitar leading the way. The lyrics are smart, funny, and leave no doubt that The 1975 are girl-obsessed northerners when tracks such as ‘Girls’ say “A pair of frozen hands to hold / Oh she’s so southern so she feels the cold / One moment I was tearing off your blouse / Now you’re living in my house”.
If their recent chart-topping successes and the standard of the album which has followed them are anything to go by, The 1975 will be sharing their unique alt-rock, pop fusion sound for a long time to come.
A beautiful debut record, The 1975 is good enough for 10 of the best from us!