Album Review: The 1975's 'I Like it When You Sleep...'
Katy Mundy | 3rd March 2016
The 1975 may well win the award for the longest album name of the year by a mile, but how would ‘I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet Unaware Of It’ fair in the album of the year category? Well it’s only February, but The 1975 have set a very high benchmark.
2015 was a confusing year for fans of The 1975, with their disappearing act off social media, many were questioning whether they’d ever come back at all. Some were set on them coming back with a different sound and look. They were right.
It’s lengthy, awkward, and pretty different from anything you would expect. It’s an impressive step forward from their synth-soaked self-titled debut, experimenting both with instrumentation and subject matter in new and exciting ways.
I like It When You Sleep kicks off with “Love Me” and “UGH!” – two tracks that tackle two completely different concepts (Internet-fueled egocentrism and Healy’s cocaine addiction, respectively) whilst both using the same infectious, funky energy. The stand out performance of this album for me personally was track 6; If I Believe You. With the gospel choir and eerie vocals on Healy’s part, it is a very soulful slow jam, this is serious turn-down-the-lights-and-stroke-the-fire music if there ever was any.
Like most sophomore albums, especially at this length, style and experimentation, some songs do fall short of the high standards set not only by the band but the fans as well. The closest sound alike to the debut album is ‘A Change of Heart’, sounding like a robbers part 2. The 1975 don’t just make easy listening pop albums, they make songs full of depth and challenge the listener to immerse themselves and take note of what they are saying, even if Healy’s voice is distant or buried at times.
The album is hugely ambitious. It has some exceptional pop moments, some smooth funk, a dash of post rock, flashes of disco, acoustics that make you want to blubber and massive hints of the 80’s that make you want to dance. It could be suggested that The 1975 haven’t quite found themselves yet. But the experimentation should be applauded as it’s aided an album which doesn’t feel boring, stale or the same as anything that’s ever been done before. There’s no doubt that The 1975 are like marmite, but I Like It When You Sleep provides so much to love, and with a whole host of shows and festivals in this upcoming year, The 1975 are now armed with a wealth and range of songs ready to blow the minds of tens and thousands of fans around the world. The self-titled debut was a harmless indie-pop album that I will treasure forever, but I Like It When You Sleep is more thought provoking. I really, really am in love with this album. Round of applause