Album Review: The 1975 - 'I like it when you sleep for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it'

Words originally for Outline Magazine

Label: Dirty Hit
Release Date: February 26th, 2016

London pretentio-ponces The 1975 are undoubtedly one of the most prolific bands of this generation, having developed a cult following since their 2013 breakthrough. On this, their second album, pop culture and self-obsession are sucked through a neon pink wormhole of hairspray and subtext, to mixed results. Technically, it’s a cornucopia of audio titbits. The singles – Bowie evocative Love Me, bubble-gum techno-samba UGH! and honkytonk powerhouse The Sound – represent just one aspect of I like it when you sleep… Elsewhere, Matty Healey and co. explore more ambient manoeuvres, like on Please Be Naked, reminiscent of their early EPs. There’s also acoustic downtime towards the end on emotive closer She Lays Down. The uniting factor throughout this record is Healey’s devotion to intricacy. His lyrics overflow with hints and references to not only the first album but also his development as a person, a topic closely scrutinized by countless devotees online. Messages of solidarity and acceptance bubble up through the glittery murk in ways that only true fans will recognise, and the bouncy, capricious character on top stands religiously as a figure encompassed in the vicious world of celebrity. Simply put, few albums quite so fantastically balance the realms of pompous controversy and downright musical brilliance.

7/10

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