THE 1975 - I LIKE IT WHEN YOU SLEEP, FOR YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL YET SO UNAWARE OF IT
From now on this title shall be abbreviated as “ILIWYS,FYASBYSUOI”. Ok that abbreviation is still really long but what are you going to do about it. This album is the British band’s second studio album following their very successful self-titled debut, “The 1975″. I recently saw them in January where they played songs from their first album, and also 5-6 new ones. The boys were brilliant live, I strongly suggest any lover of music witness their magic. After hearing singles “The Sound” and “Love Me”, I am expecting a lot of 80′s inspired, synth-pop much like the track “Girls” from their first album. Let’s see how accurate my assumptions are!
Track 1: The 1975 Rating: 7/10
The beginning of this track is a rush of sound until it reaches a climax, and then the words come in, “Go down/ Soft sound/ Midnight/ Car lights”. Familiar? That’s because the boys have recycled the lyrics from their debut album’s first track with the same name. The music however has a different sound which is assumedly the boys way of showing their growth as a band, and their more developed sound, but deep down they are still the same guys, just improving.
Track 2: Love Me Rating: 10/10
“Love Me” is a synth-pop-rock, funk influenced track about superficiality. The song itself without the words has a narcissistic vibe about it, especially evident in the guitar solo. Summed up in the line “She got a beautiful face but got nothing to say”, it’s obvious the band are coming to terms with their own fame and recognise they don’t want to be like the many shallow people around them. Both music and lyrics are perfect on this song so it’s no wonder why it’s such a hit!
Track 3: UGH! Rating: 9/10
Another synth-pop-rock funky tune, “Ugh!” is about Matty’s experience and struggles with quitting cocaine. The 1975 have always been honest as a band about their drug use so it’s quite insightful to hear about the inner monologue Matty converses with, and how he talks himself in and out of giving up coke. The whole song is a whirlwind of emotions, but to me the most powerful line is, “And you’re the only thing that’s going on in my mind/ Taking over my life a second time”. It really shows what drug users must feel when going on and off drugs, and the title “Ugh!” tell it all, the frustration and disappointment with yourself for not being able to get over an addiction. Very interesting and insightful track.
Track 4: A Change of Heart Rating: 7/10
“A Change of Heart”, made obvious by the title, is about the process of falling out of love with someone. The song is very simple musically, but also very honest. Through analysation, the sonf seems to be about the girl Matty was in love with when he wrote the songs “Sex” and “Robbers”, as well as bearing a connection lyrically with the song “The City”. In “Robbers” we hear the line, “She had a face straight out a magazine/ God only knows but you’ll never leave her”, while in this song Matty says, “You used to have a face straight out of a magazine/ Now you just look like anyone”. The similarity found in “Sex” is the line “And this is how it starts/ You take your shoes off in the back of my van”, which is similar to the line fro this song, “You were fit but you’re losing it/ You played a part, ‘this is how it starts’“. Matty also states in “A Change of Heart” that he “never found love in the city”, whereas in the song “The City” he repeats “Yeah, you wanna find love/ Then you know where the city is”. Of course these connections are intentional and probably represent both the band as a whole growing up and moving on, but also Matty himself and how he has changed. I love the guitar solo towards the end as it’s a beautiful and effortless riff that adds another dimension to the simple song.
Track 5: She’s American Rating: 8/10
“She’s American” is about a fling Matty had with an american girl. He describes the cultural differences between the two of them, “If she likes it cause we just don’t eat/ And we’re socially relevant, she’s American/ If she says I’ve got to fix my teeth/ Then she’s so American”. While this plays into a stereotype, you can’t deny the vast difference of the shallow way many American’s see the world, opposed to the rest of the world. While I don’t want to pigeon-hole all Americans to that standard, I believe Matty is probably speaking more specifically about the “Valley Girl” type and those who live in Los Angeles. Again, it’s very catchy and synth-pop-rock which makes it another hit.
Track 6: If I Believe You Rating: 9/10
This song is a sentimental track about Matty reaching out to a higher power for answers. As Matty has tweeted before, “Religious belief solves no moral problem and yields no knowledge”, in this song, and in an older track titled “Antichrist”, it’s obvious his religious roots do not run deep. I honestly find this quite insightful, while I think it is actually nice to believe in something or someone so you feel as though you can speak to relatives who have passed on, I understand Matty’s viewpoint in that it doesn’t truly fix anything and that you should really get out there yourself and try solve your own issues. Very slow and beautiful track with the back vocals of what sounds like a choir. Lovely and sultry saxophone solo keeping the song mellow yet compelling.
Track 7: Please Be Naked Rating: 7/10
The first purely instrumental song, “Please Be Naked” sounds like it would be some raunchy Miguel or Usher song. It is in fact very slow and expansive, with a few notes delicately being played on a piano and some static twinkling sounds. It has a very open and honest sound about it, and my interpretation of the title relating back to Matty and his way of thinking, is that he wants this person to be raw and honest with him. We often connect nakedness to vulnerability, and the hesitance of the piano keys being played makes me think this way. It’s very captivating, as simple as it is.
Track 8: Lostmyhead Rating: 9/10
Distorted guitars juxtaposed with Matty’s sweet voice while he repeats, “And you said I’ve lost my head/ Can you see it? Can you see it?/ Belly aches while you’re in bed/ Can you feel it? Can you feel it?”. “Lostmyhead” seems to be a reoccurring thing, much like a lot of the narcissistic comments, where Matty questions these things about himself and other people. In the middle of the song it sounds like the music is almost taken flight and then we are shot into the air via a rocket and it feels as though we’re soaring above the world, and possibly ourselves. This makes me feel as though I have “lost my head” and I’m being taken on a journey which has left me perplexed. I really enjoyed the whole experience of this song.
Track 9: The Ballad of Me and My Brain Rating: 8/10
This song follows the previous song in which Matty is actually looking for his brain, or head. Much like we’ve seen in his other lyrics, Matty discusses his mental health very openly and insightfully. This song is a look into Matty’s mind and how fame can cause you mental side effects. One of the reasons I love this band and their music so much is that I feel like not enough singers focus on the experience of mental health, but rather just being positive and how it has changed them for who they are now. Each to their own on what they want to share, I’m not ridiculing, but I feel as though The 1975 are very popular with younger audiences and therefore seem to be more in touch with the experiences many of us are going through. The music is a reoccurring harmony of voices in the background with a basic drumbeat and distorted guitar. The harmony is sometimes lost then finds it’s own voice again, which is very fitting to the songs theme. I love the line, “Well what do you expect when you’ve got no mind?” as Matty’s voice scratches at the start of it, then he laughs off the last few lines, truly sounding like he’s lots his mind.
Track 10: Somebody Else Rating: 8/10
The song begins with a piano and a slow, consistent beat with Matty singing slowly and emotionally. The beat picks up as Matty sings the chorus “I don’t want your body/ But I hate to think about you with somebody else/ Our love has gone cold/ You’re intertwining your soul with somebody else.” The song is about a girl who was unfaithful and while Matty knows he shouldn’t be with her, he still can’t help but be frustrated with the mental images of her with a new lover. Physically their relationship has deteriorated but emotionally Matty is in disbelief someone would cheat and hurt him. Somehow the band have made such a beautiful song about feelings so upbeat. Kudos.
Track 11: Loving Someone Rating: 8/10
Though this sounds musically like your typical trance music, the lyrics are way deeper than your average. This song is a cross between spoken word and rap with a mixture of some singing. It discusses popular culture, the media, and social aspects of life, and how this is all affecting the youth. The line “It’s better if we keep them perplexed/Better if we make them want the opposite sex”, is a great example of how people want young people to be treated. I also really REALLY love the lyric, “I’m the Greek economy of cashing intellectual cheques”. Matty has such an incredible way with words! This line is in reference to the Greek economy which is in crisis, and how it’s like he’s making money off his sophisticated knowledge, which together means he is being both self deprecating and self aware at once.
Track 12: I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It Rating: 7/10
The only lyrics to this song are, “Before you go, (please don’t go) turn the big light off”. Matty has said that this line comes from something he used to say to an old girlfriend. The music is all synthesizers with a mix of twinkling and distorted sounds. It’s very sweet and simple, and I feel like there is many ways to interpret the meaning, be it either romantic, or possible rhetorical or harsh in that he is closing the end of a relationship. The song picks up at the end and sounds like the kind of music you rave to, almost a celebration sounds.
Track 13: The Sound Rating: 10/10
When I first heard this song i immediately thought “this is their best song they’ve ever made!” Everything about it is great, the productions, the word,s the inflections, it’s so perfect. It’s songs like this, “Heart Out”, and “She Way Out” from their first album, that I feel like as someone who has dealt with mental illness and who can also be quite conceited, I just wholeheartedly relate to the song. Sometimes I feel like Matty and sometimes I feel like the girl he is singing about which is very contradictory much like the song itself! Regardless, I connect with this song and just can’t get it out of my head or heart. As a teenager, we all relate to these relationships that are a little bit toxic because of the strong sexual attraction, but in the end we just know we should stay away. I could go on and on about how much I love this song, but I’ll just leave you with my favourite lyric; “It’s not about reciprocation, it’s just all about me/ A sycophantic, prophetic, Socratic junkie wannabe”, which bears similarities to the line “She said, “It’s not about your body/ It’s just social implications are brought upon by this party that we’re sitting in”, from “She Way Out”…. Must be why I like the two so much!
Track 14: This Must Be My Dream Rating: 8/10
A sweet synth-pop song about a girl who Matty thought was perfect for him, but turns out not to be. The lyrics "I personify that lack of freedom in your life/ And I’m sure she’ll be gone in a second”, means firstly she takes away his freedom, personifying freedom and becoming the girl. That freedom, that girl, will be gone sure enough. Matty also states that he found her when he was wide awake, and while our dream person is often the ultimate person we want to be with, it is obvious she is not.
Track 15: Paris Rating: 8/10
I like the slow jam, melancholy vibe about this song, a simple chord progression on the guitar and basic drum beat, whilst also sounding quite depressing reminding me of The Police song “Every Breath You Take”. The lyrics are about a materialistic, drugged up girl Matty has met at a party in Paris. Matty also discusses his own issues with drugs and infidelity, and in the lyric, “She said I’ve been romanticising heroin/And oh how I’d love to go to Paris, to paris again”, Matty relates Paris to heroin in that though there are bad memories attached to each, they’re addictive.
Track 16: Nana Rating: 8/10
This song is played on an acoustic guitar, with he soft sounds of an electric guitar, slow drum beat, and a piano reverb. Matty discusses the memories of his Nana, “It’s not the same when I scratch my own head/ I haven’t got the nails for it”, and the little things he misses about her. He also brings up the fact that he doesn’t believe in God but he still hopes she can hear him when he speaks, similar to my own views I discussed previously in relation to “If I Believe You”. A beautiful tribute to his late Nana who obviously touched his heart and life tremendously.
Track 17: She Lays Down Rating: 7/10
This song is an acoustic ballad about Matty’s mother who suffered from postnatal depression. “And even though her sun is gone/ She’d like to love her child nevertheless”, a beautiful lyric describing a mother’s deep love for her child, and even through a very hard time in her life, she wants to be there for them. The last two songs are very different to the rest of the album’s synth-pop sound, and only reinforces the unpredictably of the band.
Final Rating: 8.1
With an array of 80′s inspired synth pop and beautifully deep slow ballad’s, The 1975′s second studio album is a definite hit just like there first. We gain a deeper understanding of the band thought process as musicians, and also as people, namely Matty’s mental health and infidelity issues, as well as his conflicting ideas of faith and addiction. The whole album was a journey from start to finish, I truly adore the entire thing and will definitely have it on repeat for weeks to come.
Listen to: The Sound & If I Believe You
Skip: The 1975 & Please Be Naked (If you’re not really into instrumental dominated music, I myself wouldn’t skip a single song!)
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