"A brief inquiry into Online relationships" is the 3rd album by UK pop/rock band The 1975. This is also part 1 out of 2 of albums they are releasing in quick succession as the next album is due out in May 2019. I would say I am a fan of this band however with the 2 previous albums there have been many tracks off both which I love, but at the same time there are tracks on both which I really don't like at all.
On first listen to this album and when I heard "Love it if we made it". I did think this album was going to go down the same way for me. But after 5 plus listens I have got into this album more and more. And now all the songs are making sense and all 15 tracks seem to work well together. One thing I noticed on the other albums was that they like to have different sounding songs, even spanning different genres. And with "A brief inquiry.." they have done this again but as I say this time for me they have got it spot on.
The first track "The 1975" is one of those moments which make this band so special. It is the same tune as the first track on their debut and sophomore albums but again with a different twist. Different effects used in the vocals and also a piano used too. Not many bands do this and for me its part of the bands identity. Then second track "Give yourself a try" is where the album really comes to life. A great uplifting track with a great riff which goes round in a loop for the whole song. Its not a song I can listen to on repeat due to the repetitive nature of the riff but it does fit in well when listening to the album as a whole and the lyrics are also great. In particular "So what would you say to your younger self, growing a beards quite hard and whiskey never starts to taste nice". Something I can relate to :-)
Next up is "TOOTIMETOOTIME", Another feel good track which will get you moving and grooving. "How to draw.." is almost like an interlude for starter as it begins softley and for the first minute and half it is an instrumental. Then Matt Healy's vocals creep in, then things start to pick up and it has a trancy type feel to it. Matts vocals are different to usual here and he is experimenting but it does work with the music. The next track "Love it if we made it" I did hate when it first came out as a single. It starts off with Matt singing incredibly high for the beginning of a song. And the opening lyrics I thought were rubbish "We're f**king in a car, shooting heroin, saying controvertial things just for the hell of it". But like "Give yourself a try" it just worked in an album listening environment. And now I look at the song structure of this song and think it is actually really good and different. I love it especially when the song breaks down and it turns into a kind of dance type track.
"How to draw.." was the first surprise on the album in terms of The 1975 doing something different. Then you have "Be my mistake" which sees them doing something different again. This time totally stripping back with Matt and an accoustic guitar. It feels so intimate and emotional in the delivery. I don't recall them doing this on past albums and they have absolutley nailed it here. "Sincerity is scary" sees them change direction again, keeping it chilled this time with saxaphones added to the mix too. The track flows nicely into "I like America and America likes me". They had "She's American" on their last album. Sometimes I wonder if they include America in the title of their songs to appeal to the American market.
"The Man who married a robot......" sees them doing something different yet again. It features spoken word rather Matts vocals. And tells a story about a man loving the internet with a soft musical backdrop. It acts like an interlude and adds an extra dimension to the album. "Inside your mind" is a piano ballad which builds with guitars as the song goes on. Then they probably decided since "Be my mistake" went so well that they should have another acoustic track on the album so "Surrounded by heads..." comes in and again they deliver another quality track which tugs with the emotions. "Its not living..." is an upbeat, feel good track which for me is my favourite track off this album. "Mine" sees them do another piano ballad. This time slightly slower than "Inside your mind" but again works well. "I couldn't be more in love" continues the ballad trend. Then the album finishes on "I always wanna die (sometimes)", a very nice album closer.
Overall I really do think this album is a classic and I will be listening to it for many months to come. While the first 2 albums I thought were good but patchy. There is not a bad track on this and the diversity in the sounds and genres spanned just shows the ambition and talent of the band.
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