This is the third full-length studio album from the English, Matty Healy-led synthpop/pop-rock group The 1975. I’ve covered both of their previous studio albums before, their 2013 self-titled debut, as well as 2016’s amazing yet bizarrely named, “I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it.” Someone call the police. Anyway, after that album, the band started dropping several cryptic hints throughout their social media accounts in 2017, indicating that “something” was coming in 2017 and that the group’s next album “Music For Cars” would be released in 2018. Initially, the 2017 release was supposed to be an EP, but said release got delayed to this year…apparently indefinitely since it’s not out yet, and the 2017 release ended up being their first live album “DH00278.” Still, the group continued to tease this album as well as a cryptic “June 1st” date. The day before that, though, the album’s first single “Give Yourself A Try” was released, and we learned that the new record would not be called “Music For Cars,” and instead it would be titled “A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships.” “Music For Cars” essentially became the name of this new era of music from The 1975, and the group is going to release another album during the “Music For Cars” era known as “Notes On A Conditional Form” in May of 2019.
Now, I’m sure you guys know this but I love The 1975. Both of their albums have continued to stick with me long after my first listen, and even with its awkward title, “I like it when you sleep, yadda yadda yadda” is actually one of my favorite albums. So, naturally, I would be excited about anything the group is coming out with next. That said, I haven’t actually had enough time to really dissect many of the pre-release singles: yes, I’ve listened to each of them, and I’m one of the four people on the planet that actually likes “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME,” horrible title and all, but other than that, I haven’t given myself a lot of time with the other early singles. That said, I have enjoyed them, so I am very excited to see where the group goes with this new album. It’s been one of my most anticipated records of the year, and I’m glad it’s finally here. Let’s see if it was worth the wait (and the teases):
The 1975: Never letting me down, boys. Always have to start off the album with a track called “The 1975.” Never change, guys. And the song starts off the album by juxtaposing a chill piano melody with very intense, autotune-filtered vocals. Not gonna lie, the vocals made me jump a bit. They’re a bit too abrasive for me to want to come back to this track, but the song does have a fascinating sound to it and I understand why people like that they do this. It’s still weird, but hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, I suppose.
Give Yourself A Try: The album’s first single, Matty talks on this one about how, in this strange world, we should all stand up and own ourselves, regardless of our quirks and perceived negative traits. There are also a number of fascinating social messages to the lyrics on this one, and the track moves a little bit away from the synthpop vibes of their last album in favor of more rocking, guitar-heavy production. This is definitely a change that I can get behind (even if I still love that album), and I think Matty’s vocals sound great as always here. The hook is sticky as always, the band is always good for great hooks, and the song as a whole is a fast-paced banger that I can definitely see myself coming back to quite a bit.
TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME: Here we go, time for me to have an unpopular opinion: this is a song a number of major critics have been tearing down ever since its release, with some even calling it The 1975’s worst song…which is why I feel weird for admitting that I actually like it. Yes, the title is horrible, and to a degree, I see where people are coming from in not liking it that much, but this track about infidelity actually has a really fun electronic instrumental, and even if Matty’s vocals are autotuned to Hell, I think they actually sound smooth. That, and the chorus for this is just such a damn catchy earworm, it gets stuck in my head for all the right reasons. I know, I know, people hate it and I’m strange because I like it, but yeah, it’s a really fun song. Strike me down.
How To Draw / Petrichor: Though this song is nearly six minutes in length, it’s shorter on lyrical content than the last few: the first part is a remastered version of a Target-exclusive bonus track from the last album, where Matty talks about his anxiety of not reaching his full potential, while the second part talks about Matty’s drug addiction. I love how the first part of the song was very light, airy, and somewhat childlike, with very sweet bells and a relaxing vibe. Very ethereal, lovely starter that almost feels to me like something out of a dramatic, emotional scene in an animated film. Some of the autotuned vocals can be a bit overbearing at points, but the instrumentals really sell “How To Draw.” Once we get to “Petrichor,” the song takes on a more fast-paced, upbeat sound with more glitchy, electronic instrumentals and, while it doesn’t kill the song for me, it’s not quite as fun to listen to. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t bad at all (I even like the filters on Matty’s vocals on “Petrichor”), but I certainly won’t remember this as one of The 1975’s better “largely instrumental” tracks.
Love It If We Made It: I remember this track getting a bit of good attention when it first came out, partially because of the social messages and political content of the lyrics, with lines that directly reference Donald Trump, and with the group trying to create something of an optimistic message out of the world we live in, proclaiming that they would love it if we made it through all of this. Beyond the fascinating lyricism, the song is much slower-paced but throbbing with great synth instrumentals and a powerful vocal performance from Matty. His vocals are more front and center here, and he sounds great, especially on the very catchy earworm of a chorus. Another great track!
Be My Mistake: Matty has described this as being a song about “guilt,” specifically from an insignificant, casual hookup you had with someone. It’s also a really fascinating track because it’s an acoustic ballad. Yes, Matty and the group have done a few lighter songs before, but this feels like nothing they’ve done in the past. It’s still a great track, though, because the acoustic guitar melody is quite beautiful, as are Matty’s vocals. It feels like his vocals are far rawer here, but they’re also smooth and delicate. This is actually the kind of track that almost drove me to tears just because of how it sounded. I don’t know why, but it just sounded so lovely. I feel like this is gonna become one of my favorite songs from the group with more listens, but as it is, it’s definitely one of my favorites from the album!
Sincerity Is Scary: Another very socially conscious track that deals with how difficult it is to be sincere in today’s society, and Matty spends the song attempting to denounce the stigmatization of being real. It’s a surprisingly soulful cut, with an off-kilter drum beat and very gorgeous horns as well. Matty’s vocals are much more mellow, but he nonetheless sounds very nice, and as we’ve seen often out of the group, the chorus is really catchy. I actually didn’t think I’d love this cut, given that the drums sound sort of offbeat with the rest of the instrumentals, but I think that just makes the song more fun and I really dig it!
I Like America & America Likes Me: First of all, I was really drawn in by that title. I don’t know why, but it’s kinda funny. The song itself, though, is not quite as funny, as it deals with the very serious topic of gun violence in America. Funny how the non-American band is more conscious and passionate about common-sense gun laws than our very own government is. Isn’t that ironic? In any case, using it as a basis for what he believes is the “sound of America,” Matty makes this song as an “homage to SoundCloud rap.” Rather odd thing to make an homage to (especially when you consider he was even going to originally write mumble lyrics at first), but you just never know what people come up with. Anyway, I totally get the SoundCloud rap influence, with an 808-driven beat consisting of the typical rattling hi-hats we’ve come to expect from trap music, along with very heavily autotuned vocals. I actually like the vibe of the song, it’s really fun and upbeat while having a lot of surprises and interesting sonic ideas going for it. It’s an extremely unconventional tribute to probably one of the most unconventional subgenres of music.
The Man Who Married A Robot / Love Theme: One of the most bizarre tracks on the album, Part 1 is a spoken-word track narrated by Siri…enticing. Anyway, Siri narrates a story about loneliness, society, data, and the Internet, even telling the story of a man named @SnowflakeSmasher86, and then Part 2 is an instrumental…yeah. I like the way the song starts, with the very light, pretty piano melody, but I wasn’t super crazy about the Siri-spoken dialogue on the song. Yes, the lyrical content does play well into the title of the album (“Online Relationships” and all that jazz), but I feel like the group has definitely done far better largely instrumental songs than this one (even if some parts do sound like they have a nice, Disney movie feel to them), and this one just doesn’t stick out to me.
Inside Your Mind: A track about an old flame, Matty speaks to the idea presented in “Gone Girl” where you want to know so badly what a partner is thinking that you actually want to smash their head open to figure it out…my. Apparently, he also explained that he likes morbidly romantic things and that his girlfriend finds this concept sexy…relationships these days just get more and more interesting. The song’s got a somewhat slower feel, as Matty’s vocals purge through the emotional pianos, slick guitars, and woozy synths. It’s another pretty-sounding song with a good, emotional edge to it, but I feel like it’s honestly a little bit dull. It doesn’t really have the punch of some of the group’s better songs, nor does it have the interesting twists and turns of some of the group’s better work. I don’t think it’s precisely bad, but I definitely expected more vocal charm out of Matty and some more compelling production as well.
It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You): Given the title, you would think this is a love song, but nope, this is a song about Matty’s obsession with heroin. Yeah, sorry to be kind of overt, but just didn’t want you to be fooled by the title. Anyway, this is a song that extends on some of the synthpop styles of the last album, with groovy bass riffs and gorgeous synths meshing well to make a bright, fun, danceable track. Matty’s vocals are smooth as always, and the addition of The London Community Gospel Choir in the background adds to the hook to not only keep it catchy but to fill it with another layer of nice vocalization. I like this track a lot, too!
Surrounded By Heads And Bodies: A dedication to a woman named Angela that Matty met while in rehab for his heroin addiction, this is another somewhat lighter, more acoustic track that nonetheless still features heavily filtered vocals, a brush-assisted drum beat, and more of the hazy synths we’ve heard several times before from the group. Honestly, despite being slightly more lowkey, acoustic, and different from the group’s usual stuff, I personally think it sounds like a retread of a number of their other songs. The synths aren’t quite as sticky, and I feel like Matty’s filtered vocals are a bit at odds with the lighter feel of the song. It’s a track that seems content to throw a bunch of uncommon, odd sonic elements together at once, without really trying to do anything super compelling with them. Yeah, I wasn’t crazy about this one.
Mine: A jazzy love song that plays as a tribute to renowned saxophonist John Coltrane, I like the super smooth, light piano introduction on this one, and given that the group is trying to make a jazz standard out of this, I definitely respect it. I’m not as crazy about some of the ways certain instrumentals mesh together (like the somewhat messy, off-kilter drum beat), but I like Matty’s delicate vocals, and I think there’s definitely some appropriate swell and emotion on this track. I don’t really see this standing the test of time in future jazz ensembles, and it’s definitely not one of my favorites on the album, but some good things are going on here, and I do like where it’s headed.
I Couldn’t Be More In Love: One might think that this is a track about a loved one, but apparently, this is a loving tribute from Matty Healy and the group to their fans who stuck with them, even when Matty worried that we would leave because of his trip to rehab. We’re with ya, man, we’re right here. And I actually love the sound of this one, with the very smooth keyboards that kick it back a bit to 80’s R&B slow jam tracks. Matty’s vocals are powerful, the lighter drum beat fits nicely against the keyboards, and the song just feels like such a nice slow dance track. There are also some really slick, light guitar solos that round out this very nice track and make it one of the album’s better cuts.
I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes): A very cinematic ending to the album, this song talks about suicidal feelings and how such despair only exists sometimes. He basically sums up the song by saying that it’s worth trying to keep pushing, instead of ending your own life. Great lyrical content, but the instrumentals confused me a little at first. I thought I was listening to the group do a cover of “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus at first. The song does switch up a bit, though, playing a little bit more to the “rock” side of the group’s sound. Matty’s vocals are smooth, and the instrumentals are catchy and pretty compelling. Does it singlehandedly make the album the group’s best for me? Not quite, but I do think it’s a nice finisher to the record.
Overall, this album has been hailed by critics as one of the year’s bests and it’s getting a lot of love and a lot of positive reviews…but, I’m sorry, I’m not all the way in on that. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy the album a good bit, but coming off of “I like it when you sleep,” this album was a bit of a disappointment to me, and I definitely had some issues with it. On the positive side of things, I definitely do appreciate that the group largely stuck with their concept (“Online Relationships”) within their lyrics, and I do respect the experimentation in their sound with this one. They didn’t want to just stick to the sound of their last two albums, so I respect their attempts to change things up. And, for the most part, there are quite a few tracks on here that I really dig with solid, catchy production, great vocals from Matty, and interestingly layered lyrics. As per usual with the group’s records, there are some very solid, enjoyable cuts throughout this thing, and it is nice that, knowing the idea they had, they decided to condense this down by a good deal in terms of its length.
Unfortunately, as I said, there were problems I had with the record. Beyond the singles, many of the other cuts on this thing were a lot less compelling and tended to feel like they repeated themselves. Most of the songs focused on the instrumentals, which isn’t a bad thing, but it felt like they had an idea of experimentation and didn’t play enough with it, leading to a number of tracks that were a bit too content to repeat ideas and sounds and just mesh together a good deal. And even though I’m glad they played with the concept a good bit, there were several points throughout the record where it felt like Matty took a bit of a backseat, and without his usual vocal charisma being on display for much of this record, it made a number of the songs feel a lot less attention-grabbing.
All things considered, this is gonna be one of those rare cases where you can’t just look at the rating and make a judgment because there’s more to it beyond that. Most of the time, I’m usually able to just say that an album is “Excellent,” “Good,” “Okay,” “Bad,” or “Awful” and leave it at that. This is a case where there’s a bit more than just the rating, because yes, I did enjoy the album, but I just can’t shake the disappointment that it left me with. Perhaps it’s because it was following up on two albums that I adored and it just didn’t have the same gusto, but it’s a case where there’s a small asterisk with the rating. Something like an “it’s good, but…” kind of thing, where you may be a bit surprised that it gets the rating it gets, considering the disappointment it leaves me with. I suppose it’s one of those cases where, as some might say, no two albums with the same rating are the exact same thing. Anyway, “A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships” is definitely a good album, and I did enjoy it, but Album of the Year-worthy? Not quite. Better than their last two records? Yeah…no. Enough to have me a little skeptical about “Notes On A Conditional Form?” Just a bit, yes.
Favorite tracks: Give Yourself A Try, TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME, Love It If We Made It, Be My Mistake, Sincerity Is Scary, I Like America & America Likes Me, It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You), I Couldn’t Be More In Love, I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)
Least favorite tracks: The Man Who Married A Robot / Love Theme (ironically), Inside Your Mind, Surrounded By Heads And Bodies
Rating: Good
I Like America & America Likes Me: First of all, I was really drawn in by that title. I don’t know why, but it’s kinda funny. The song itself, though, is not quite as funny, as it deals with the very serious topic of gun violence in America. Funny how the non-American band is more conscious and passionate about common-sense gun laws than our very own government is. Isn’t that ironic? In any case, using it as a basis for what he believes is the “sound of America,” Matty makes this song as an “homage to SoundCloud rap.” Rather odd thing to make an homage to (especially when you consider he was even going to originally write mumble lyrics at first), but you just never know what people come up with. Anyway, I totally get the SoundCloud rap influence, with an 808-driven beat consisting of the typical rattling hi-hats we’ve come to expect from trap music, along with very heavily autotuned vocals. I actually like the vibe of the song, it’s really fun and upbeat while having a lot of surprises and interesting sonic ideas going for it. It’s an extremely unconventional tribute to probably one of the most unconventional subgenres of music.
The Man Who Married A Robot / Love Theme: One of the most bizarre tracks on the album, Part 1 is a spoken-word track narrated by Siri…enticing. Anyway, Siri narrates a story about loneliness, society, data, and the Internet, even telling the story of a man named @SnowflakeSmasher86, and then Part 2 is an instrumental…yeah. I like the way the song starts, with the very light, pretty piano melody, but I wasn’t super crazy about the Siri-spoken dialogue on the song. Yes, the lyrical content does play well into the title of the album (“Online Relationships” and all that jazz), but I feel like the group has definitely done far better largely instrumental songs than this one (even if some parts do sound like they have a nice, Disney movie feel to them), and this one just doesn’t stick out to me.
Inside Your Mind: A track about an old flame, Matty speaks to the idea presented in “Gone Girl” where you want to know so badly what a partner is thinking that you actually want to smash their head open to figure it out…my. Apparently, he also explained that he likes morbidly romantic things and that his girlfriend finds this concept sexy…relationships these days just get more and more interesting. The song’s got a somewhat slower feel, as Matty’s vocals purge through the emotional pianos, slick guitars, and woozy synths. It’s another pretty-sounding song with a good, emotional edge to it, but I feel like it’s honestly a little bit dull. It doesn’t really have the punch of some of the group’s better songs, nor does it have the interesting twists and turns of some of the group’s better work. I don’t think it’s precisely bad, but I definitely expected more vocal charm out of Matty and some more compelling production as well.
It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You): Given the title, you would think this is a love song, but nope, this is a song about Matty’s obsession with heroin. Yeah, sorry to be kind of overt, but just didn’t want you to be fooled by the title. Anyway, this is a song that extends on some of the synthpop styles of the last album, with groovy bass riffs and gorgeous synths meshing well to make a bright, fun, danceable track. Matty’s vocals are smooth as always, and the addition of The London Community Gospel Choir in the background adds to the hook to not only keep it catchy but to fill it with another layer of nice vocalization. I like this track a lot, too!
Surrounded By Heads And Bodies: A dedication to a woman named Angela that Matty met while in rehab for his heroin addiction, this is another somewhat lighter, more acoustic track that nonetheless still features heavily filtered vocals, a brush-assisted drum beat, and more of the hazy synths we’ve heard several times before from the group. Honestly, despite being slightly more lowkey, acoustic, and different from the group’s usual stuff, I personally think it sounds like a retread of a number of their other songs. The synths aren’t quite as sticky, and I feel like Matty’s filtered vocals are a bit at odds with the lighter feel of the song. It’s a track that seems content to throw a bunch of uncommon, odd sonic elements together at once, without really trying to do anything super compelling with them. Yeah, I wasn’t crazy about this one.
Mine: A jazzy love song that plays as a tribute to renowned saxophonist John Coltrane, I like the super smooth, light piano introduction on this one, and given that the group is trying to make a jazz standard out of this, I definitely respect it. I’m not as crazy about some of the ways certain instrumentals mesh together (like the somewhat messy, off-kilter drum beat), but I like Matty’s delicate vocals, and I think there’s definitely some appropriate swell and emotion on this track. I don’t really see this standing the test of time in future jazz ensembles, and it’s definitely not one of my favorites on the album, but some good things are going on here, and I do like where it’s headed.
I Couldn’t Be More In Love: One might think that this is a track about a loved one, but apparently, this is a loving tribute from Matty Healy and the group to their fans who stuck with them, even when Matty worried that we would leave because of his trip to rehab. We’re with ya, man, we’re right here. And I actually love the sound of this one, with the very smooth keyboards that kick it back a bit to 80’s R&B slow jam tracks. Matty’s vocals are powerful, the lighter drum beat fits nicely against the keyboards, and the song just feels like such a nice slow dance track. There are also some really slick, light guitar solos that round out this very nice track and make it one of the album’s better cuts.
I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes): A very cinematic ending to the album, this song talks about suicidal feelings and how such despair only exists sometimes. He basically sums up the song by saying that it’s worth trying to keep pushing, instead of ending your own life. Great lyrical content, but the instrumentals confused me a little at first. I thought I was listening to the group do a cover of “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus at first. The song does switch up a bit, though, playing a little bit more to the “rock” side of the group’s sound. Matty’s vocals are smooth, and the instrumentals are catchy and pretty compelling. Does it singlehandedly make the album the group’s best for me? Not quite, but I do think it’s a nice finisher to the record.
Overall, this album has been hailed by critics as one of the year’s bests and it’s getting a lot of love and a lot of positive reviews…but, I’m sorry, I’m not all the way in on that. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy the album a good bit, but coming off of “I like it when you sleep,” this album was a bit of a disappointment to me, and I definitely had some issues with it. On the positive side of things, I definitely do appreciate that the group largely stuck with their concept (“Online Relationships”) within their lyrics, and I do respect the experimentation in their sound with this one. They didn’t want to just stick to the sound of their last two albums, so I respect their attempts to change things up. And, for the most part, there are quite a few tracks on here that I really dig with solid, catchy production, great vocals from Matty, and interestingly layered lyrics. As per usual with the group’s records, there are some very solid, enjoyable cuts throughout this thing, and it is nice that, knowing the idea they had, they decided to condense this down by a good deal in terms of its length.
Unfortunately, as I said, there were problems I had with the record. Beyond the singles, many of the other cuts on this thing were a lot less compelling and tended to feel like they repeated themselves. Most of the songs focused on the instrumentals, which isn’t a bad thing, but it felt like they had an idea of experimentation and didn’t play enough with it, leading to a number of tracks that were a bit too content to repeat ideas and sounds and just mesh together a good deal. And even though I’m glad they played with the concept a good bit, there were several points throughout the record where it felt like Matty took a bit of a backseat, and without his usual vocal charisma being on display for much of this record, it made a number of the songs feel a lot less attention-grabbing.
All things considered, this is gonna be one of those rare cases where you can’t just look at the rating and make a judgment because there’s more to it beyond that. Most of the time, I’m usually able to just say that an album is “Excellent,” “Good,” “Okay,” “Bad,” or “Awful” and leave it at that. This is a case where there’s a bit more than just the rating, because yes, I did enjoy the album, but I just can’t shake the disappointment that it left me with. Perhaps it’s because it was following up on two albums that I adored and it just didn’t have the same gusto, but it’s a case where there’s a small asterisk with the rating. Something like an “it’s good, but…” kind of thing, where you may be a bit surprised that it gets the rating it gets, considering the disappointment it leaves me with. I suppose it’s one of those cases where, as some might say, no two albums with the same rating are the exact same thing. Anyway, “A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships” is definitely a good album, and I did enjoy it, but Album of the Year-worthy? Not quite. Better than their last two records? Yeah…no. Enough to have me a little skeptical about “Notes On A Conditional Form?” Just a bit, yes.
Favorite tracks: Give Yourself A Try, TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME, Love It If We Made It, Be My Mistake, Sincerity Is Scary, I Like America & America Likes Me, It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You), I Couldn’t Be More In Love, I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)
Least favorite tracks: The Man Who Married A Robot / Love Theme (ironically), Inside Your Mind, Surrounded By Heads And Bodies
Rating: Good
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