The 1975: Album Review

It seems as if there has never been a band to gain as much attention prior to releasing a debut album like The 1975. The Manchester based four-piece made up of Matthew Healy, George Daniel, Ross MacDonald and Adam Hann, have gained buzz and their debut album has been highly anticipated.

The band released four EPs in the last year prior to dropping their debut album. The reason for the EPs was to show people what kind of music would be on their album. They described it as a sampler for the real thing. From the start people were very intrigued because no other band had gone about releasing multiple EPs like The 1975. The EPs worked to their advantage as the inclusion of some of the EP tracks on the album lead to an appreciation of them. The EP songs were something people automatically knew when hearing the album. The fact that the band have been playing together for ten years is evident in the musical consistency that comes through on the EPs and album.

The album acts as an auto-biography for the band. It is the soundtrack to their lives and at times it is very raw. Tracks such as the stripped-down piano track ‘Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You’ are full of emotion and truly tell a story that people are able to relate to. The themes on this album vary from childhood mistakes to teenage love and everyone will be able to find something they like on it.

The moods and atmosphere of the four EPs varied and fans were unsure what to expect on the self-titled debut record. Would it lead towards the gloomier, slightly atmospheric tracks like ‘HNSCC’ or would the album be more like the pop singles like ‘The City’ and ‘Chocolate’.  However the album didn’t disappoint. There are a mix of the darker songs such as ‘Me’ but there are also catchy pop songs such as ‘Girls’ on the album. The different themes (gloomy and pop-like) make for a good balance  and ensure there is no overload.

This album is undoubtedly one of the best of the year and it is what indie music should be. Each track is unwaveringly good and individual. The album can’t be classified to a single genre yet even without a clear cut dividing line for this record it remains cohesive and complete. The 1975 are a breath of fresh air and are what the music industry needs.