After months of patiently waiting, The 1975 fans can finally rest easy with the release of their newest album with a mouth-full of a title, I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it. Jumping from genre to genre with each song paired with an ’80s vibe, lead vocalist Matt Healy discusses topics such as drugs, love and religion with a nostalgic twist.
The first song on the album, a self-entitled “The 1975,” was definitely a letdown and started the album on a sour note with prolonged silence followed by a weird chorus of voices followed by more silence and weird choruses. Four tracks in, “A Change of Heart” finally began to redeem the album with a regretful tune riddled with sentiments of a failing relationship. This song will hit a bittersweet chord to listeners who understand Healy’s lyrics grappling with the sudden and unexpected change of feelings towards someone you once cared deeply for.
Healy knocks “If I Believe You” out of the park with his blatant questioning of a higher power and asking for proof. It’s not uncommon to question religion, and Healy does it candidly while still remaining tactful, asking, “I’m broken and bleeding and begging for help, and I’m asking you, Jesus, show yourself.” This is one of those tracks that has the ability to speak to anyone, and Healy performed it masterfully. He dives into his own lack of faith and the impression left on the listener can only be put as heavy.
If that track wasn’t enough to get the tears flowing, “Nana” will do a trick. A song dedicated to Healy’s late grandmother, “Nana” is a conversation where Healy laments his grandmother’s death and questions her existence after it. With lines like “I know God doesn’t exist… but I like to think you hear me sometimes,” this song exemplifies the unwillingness to let go of those who have let go of this world.
Healy is known for his ego, as noted in his interview with NME when he stated, “I’d rather people think I’m pretentious than not care.” He later went on to say, “The world needs this album.” That’s quite the claim to make, but Healy wasn’t afraid to make it. The thing is, 75 minutes of half-way decent songs with a few jam-worthy ones sprinkled in doesn’t seem like the type of album the world needs.
Healy and the group have made it a habit to address the most messed-up issues in creative ways. From addressing drug habits to questioning the existence of God to discussing the pains of failed love, The 1975 covers it all in I like it when you sleep…
While the band is continuing to change the way of music, this album only ranks mid-grade with some blunders and a few hits. Unfortunately, as hard as he might try, Healy never fails to make a cliché out of himself, and I’m afraid this album has followed suit. Several songs scream “try-hard” instead of wowing fans with what Healy took as an album full of ambitious and groundbreaking songs.
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While I understand where the writer is coming from in their comments about The 1957’s new album the comments also lead me to believe that this is their first encounter with the band and their sound. I have been a fan of The 1975 since I discovered them a few month after their first self titled album came out in fall of 2013 and have been anticipating this second album’s release for quite a while. As someone who is quite familiar with the bands sound, unusual as it maybe be, the new album is in my opinion is very such what was expected of the bands sophomore album with a few surprises thrown in that I believe kept all of their fans on their toes. For those who know The 1975’s first album recognized the first track on I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it to be the same song that opened their first album as well but re-mastered to flow with the sound of this album which I found to be a very creative away to start it off. I do whole heartedly agree that If I Believe You is one of the most stand out songs of the album not just in its powerful sound but also the lyrics of desperation that anyone who has gone though a hard time can relate to on some level. The album is a beautifully done mix of strong pop tunes, powerful ballads and inventive instrumental tracks which catch your attention from the very first song. This entire entire album for me is a natural transition to a second album and has been a large success for the band by debuting at number 1 in the UK and US.