The 1975 exceeds expectations with their newest album ‘A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships’
The 1975 had not released new music for over a year, and their millions of fans were left wondering when they would be back with new songs for their playlists. All of their dreams would be realized when they dropped their first single “Give Yourself a Try.”
I patiently waited for the full album to drop so I could lay down with my headphones on and replay all of their songs until my heart was content. Finally, they released their third album “A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships” on Nov. 30, 2018.
My first experience listening to the album all the way through was incredible. I was astounded by the quality of production and found myself disappointed that the album was only 58 minutes of pure bliss, but excited by the fact that I could hit the replay button as many times as I wanted — I have yet to stop pushing it.
The best way to express what the album is like is to say that it felt like the lead singer, Matthew Healy, was having a heart-to-heart with the listener where he was sharing everything that he had come to know in his life both in and out of the spotlight.
The album’s many songs contain lyrics that unashamedly speak to issues like gun violence, mental illness, drug addiction, racism and sexism. However, there are also songs that cover both lighter and relatable things like struggles with authenticity in a generation that seeks perfection and feeling alone despite constantly being surrounded by people.
Healy uses the album to voice his concern about the ever-growing influence that the internet has on the youth and what it has done to our sense of humanity.
The song “Sincerity is Scary” speaks to this idea as it comments on the fact that many young people find it easier to put on a front and laugh things off so they don’t have to go down the painful path of being honest with their feelings. The lyric, “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’ it’s just a self-referential way that stops you havin’ to be human,” spectacularly embodies this idea.
Each track contains lyrics that the listener feels compelled to listen to again just like when Healy quoted Donald Trump’s famous tweet, “Thank you Kanye, very cool!” in their single “Love It If We Made It.”
None of the songs on the album sounded the same and each of them told their own story. As I finished the album for the third time, I had decided that it was undeniably my favorite one that they had released.
If you have never listened to The 1975 and are debating on it because you may have heard them in a store once or twice or maybe you heard about them from a friend, I highly suggest taking the time to listen to this newest album. The songs on the record are so versatile and contain lyrics that everyone could relate to, so what are you waiting for?
