The 1975
A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships
[Dirty Hit/ Interscope]
The 1975 don’t do ‘understated’ – the Mancunian four-piece have drawn a significant share of supporters and detractors in equal measure over the past half-decade with their chameleonic, shape-shifting brand of indie pop-rock, but A Brief Inquiry… finds Matty Healy & co. in irresistible form on a record that’s impossible to ignore.
There’s something rebellious in the sheer joy and optimism that shines through the warm synths of A Brief Inquiry… in the face of 2018’s gloomy musical landscape, and the arrival of such a cheerfully infectious album couldn’t have been timed better than the tail end of the year. There’s still a variety of sounds explored here with singles like Give Yourself A Try interpolating Joy Division in a millennial post-punk standout and Love If We Made It acting as the album’s life-affirming, anthemic electropop centrepiece alongside jazzy R&B slow jam Sincerity Is Scary.
The mere fact that these tracks co-exist on the same record in such cohesive fashion is testament to Healy’s spectacular songwriting which truly comes into its own on the band’s third record as the 29-year-old weaves together themes that manage to be silly, profound, light, dark, funny, intelligent, classic and modern often all at the same time. Doubters be damned – with A Brief Inquiry…, The 1975 deliver one of the best albums of the year and a refreshingly positive statement for the modern generation.
Words: Andrew Lambert
If you like this, try these:
22, A Million – Bon Iver
Substance 1987 – New Order
Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming – M83
