By: Gabby Lewis, Co-Editor-In-Chief
From the release of their first EP to their sophomore album, The 1975 has always evolved their sound with each new record, never remaining stuck with one type of song and always growing. Their recent album, A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, is no different, representing another plunge into musical experimentation with lyrics unapologetically commentating on the world in 2018 and delving into all types of relationships.
The album features fifteen tracks ranging from funky dance songs to piano and acoustic ballads. The record begins with a third rendition of the introductory song to every album, titled “The 1975.” The band created a new, quieter mix with a focus on the lyrics over a soft melody with technological effects. Every version of “The 1975” sets the mood and musical direction of the album. This particular intro takes listeners into Brief Inquiry’s world where not just digital relationships but the world’s major events spread through media are examined.
Following their intro track, the majority of the first half of the album consists of the band’s layered pop songs, including most of the album’s singles such as “Give Yourself A Try,” “TooTimeTooTimeTooTime,” “Love It If We Made It,” and “Sincerity Is Scary.” Part one of Brief Inquiry fits into The 1975’s version of electropop, only with a more retro 80s influence than before.
The lyrics provide a commentary on universally known topics. “I Like America & America Likes Me” comes from the perspective of a teenager afraid of being shot in the United States, a fear which has escalated with the immense amount of shootings which happened in 2018. In one of their singles “Love It If We Made It,” lead singer Matty Healy cries out a recollection of 2018, referencing Donald Trump’s tweets, Lil Peep’s death, and Alan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian refugee whose drowning on a beach caused an outcry in the UK. The 1975 isn’t afraid to utilize their art form as a means of commenting on the modern world and people’s relationship with it.
However, unlike past albums, Brief Inquiry features a more equal distribution between the pop and the raw, as the second half contains almost all ballads of simpler music and vocals. The transition begins with “Be My Mistake,” a soft tragedy of regret about cheating on a significant other. The second half of the album explores less universal issues and focuses much more on interpersonal relationships. “The Man Who Married A Robot / Love Theme” details the risks of infatuation with the Internet. “I Couldn’t Be More in Love” and “Mine” explore what it’s like to be fully, deeply in love and committed. Even “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You),” one of the album’s upbeat singles, is about Healy’s addictive relationship with heroin, with the song singing to the drug as if it were a revered lover.
Although The 1975 has evolved with their actual sound, the band has stepped into a more universal narrative, daring to explore the current state of our world with their music as well as relationships of all types, not just strictly romantic. For some, their songs may be too experimental or disconnected, but for anyone looking for a journey that reflects the change constantly occurring in reality, A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships tells the right story.