[9/10]
The 1975’s meteoric rise to fame is matched by few other bands at the moment. With a jam packed tour schedule (including festivals) of spectacular live shows and a debut album like this, any mystery of how they’ve achieved said rise is quickly solved.
The 1975 is a hugely ambitious debut effort that spans sixteen tracks (many more if you invest in the deluxe edition) and a wide variety of sounds. From the electronic enthused noise of ‘The City’ to the funk flavoured ‘Settle Down’ and ‘Girls’ via the more traditional indie rock taste of ‘Chocolate’ and ‘Sex’, listeners are given a delectable platter of music that only gets better as you listen more and more. The lesser known tracks also get increasingly enchanting with more listens – especially ‘Menswear’, which is found near the end of the album at track fourteen. The album also has a couple of interlude style tracks that work incredibly well in aiding the transition in the sound development through the album.
Criticism can be directed at the sometimes repetitive themes of the album. Many of the lyrics across it are centred on the pain that can be found from casual young love, though the emotion behind them always seems genuine. These are also the themes that have helped the band connect with their audience so well. ‘Chocolate’s theme of the rebellion of youth, and the thrill that comes with it, is a highpoint that does well to break from the convention of love.
The pacing of the tracks is inspired, while there is the ever popular slow track to finish with, The 1975 is careful not to squeeze all the big hitters into the earlier section. For example, ‘Girls’ is track eleven. That’s not to say that any of the tracks feel like filler – The 1975 is a fifty minute, sixteen track journey of musical bliss.
Ben Rider
