A Brief Inquiry into 'A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships'

The 1975 have been around for quite some time, debuting with a few EPs in 2012 and with their first LP in 2013. They are, for many, the band of the hour, and after a yearand-a-half-long hiatus, they are back with their third album, A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships. The first single “Give Yourself A Try” came out on June 1st– a symbolic date for the band– and gave listeners a glimpse of one of the many threads that run through this album.

“YOU LEARN A COUPLE THINGS WHEN YOU GET TO MY AGE…”

From the first line it is clear that this is an existential album about life. But this song doesn’t give away an accurate picture of the album’s general sound; in fact, it is heavily juxtaposed to the first song in the record’s official tracklist – the classic “The 1975” – which holds a Bon Iver-esque personality for this album cycle, full of auto tune and piano chords. “Modernity has failed us” is the main theme of the Music For Cars era, and the band purposely paired this theme with an electronic and artificial album to symbolise the necessities of the maturing generation.

A catchy, synthetic pop song, the band tackles the topic of modern unfaithfulness in “TOOTIMETOOTIM- ETOOTIME.” The upbeat rhythm of the song is violently put down by the fourth track, “How To Draw / Petrichor.” The track starts as a delicate lullaby with almost whispered instruments and samples. The distorted voice of Matty Healy sings, “I’ve not learned how to draw… what if you die with all of the cameras?” and soon melts into an instrumental enriched by electronic sounds and carefree singing.

“WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR FUTURE SELF WHO WON’T CHANGE / DON’T LET THE INTERNET RUIN YOUR TIME.”

“Love It If We Made It,” a screamed and desperate track, claims the spotlight. From the first sentence, Healy’s voice is full of anger. This political song is complete with quotes by Donald Trump, present sociological issues, and flashes of the disappointment in today’s society. It leaves the listener with a glimpse of hope: “I’d love it if we made it.”

The record is full of surprises: it takes a break from aggression during the very personal acoustic track “Be My Mistake,” where Healy comes clean about cheating and the gruesome shame that is eating him alive. It is a redemption song, characterised only by his feeble voice and a delicate acoustic guitar with a hint of piano. Lyrics like “You do make me hard, but she makes me weak,” are bold, true, and honest. This same honesty is maintained in the seventh track, “Sincerity Is Scary.” Healy talks about present-day love stories, singing, “Instead of calling me out, you should be pulling me in.” He suggests that we are an offended generation that confuses decency with culture and culture with education.

Politics and philosophy are referenced throughout A Brief Inquiry. “I Like America & America Likes Me” is a bold, trap-esque song. “I’m scared of dying,” Healy starts with singing. It is a courageous statement of fragility which reflects contemporary American society. “Would you please listen?” Healy asks in a call for help that comes as a consequence of “being young in the city.” People want change, humanity is lost, and things are no longer fine. In the middle of the song is an electronic interlude that pleads for young people to be more attentive.

There is a general perception that millennials are getting more and more isolated and lonely, and The 1975 have drawn from this idea to dictate a full narrative from Siri – the iPhone’s superstar – in “The Man Who Married A Robot.” This tracks draws themes parallel to those of the popular British television show Black Mirror by narrating the tragic fate we all are walking towards: “and then he died, in his lonely house, on the lonely street, in that lonely part of the world. You can go on his Facebook.” The second part of the song, “Love Theme,” is a theatrical and glorious instrumental composition that transitions into what is one of the most effective tracks on album. “Inside Your Mind” shifts the album’s overall mood: it is a beautiful, graceful love ballad. Healy shares his deepest fears of commitment while a throbbing yet sweet electric guitar plays alongside. It is suspenseful and augments his audience’s hunger to keep listening.

“I’VE HAD DREAMS WHERE THERE’S BLOOD ON YOU, ALL THOSE DREAMS WHERE YOU’RE MY WIFE…”

Fear and regret are central topics in Healy’s lyricism, and they are clear in “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You).” The bubbly track has a deceiving title: it is not about someone but rather about something. Healy has struggled with drug addiction for a few years now, but he has been clean after some time in rehab in Barbados. The catchy pop song hides a tormented and hauntingly dark truth. Later, in “Surrounded By Heads And Bodies,” Healy remembers Angela, a woman who he met in rehab. It is a passing track, slumbered and slow, putting the listeners at peace.

“WE DON’T SPEAK / SHE STAYED AN EXTRA WEEK / I SEE HER IN MY SLEEP”

The old school, jazzy “Mine” seems like the perfect soundtrack for a 1920s romance, with its sweet vocals and a warm saxophone. Even if there is a clear declaration of love, Healy still “just can’t say ‘I do,’” and it is destroying him. Did the internet do this? Is he feeling this insecurity due to his online identity?

“I FIGHT CRIME ON- LINE SOMETIMES, AND WRITE RHYMES I HIDE BEHIND.”

Equally romantic is “I Couldn’t Be More In Love,” a bewildering ballad that places a choir in the background. Healy’s voice is strained during the chorus, pleading for someone to listen to his declaration of love, and it hurts him because he doesn’t know how to handle it: “What about these feelings I’ve got?”

When listening to the closing track “I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes),” the presence of “I Couldn’t Be More In Love” makes more sense: it is a transition track. The 1975 could not have chosen a better farewell to this complicated album. Based off the movie The Graduate, the last song carries a different and new energy. It talks about life, death, birth, existence, even religion, all in one song. It clearly takes inspiration from American 90s rock, with its trudging guitar and the high built thanks to the chorus. “We’ll have religion as long as people are scared of dying,” the frontman explains in his Genius Verified interview. Religion has always been a fundamental matter for Healy, seen in his previous works such as the song “If I Believe You” of their sophomore record, but here the topic is discussed in a different light. It is a song that invites everyone to seek help, because at some point, almost everyone has wanted to die.

“YOUR MEMORIES ARE SCENERIES OF THINGS YOU SAID BUT NEVER REALLY MEANT.”

It is okay not to be okay, and The 1975 have embraced their fragility. As human beings we are prone to falling apart, but this record brings a hint of light at the end of the tunnel. Okay, maybe the comparisons some publications have made of the album to OK Computer by Radiohead are a bit forced, but the idea behind the likenings are not that wrong. Even though it is not as linear an album as I Like It When You Sleep, it is a milestone in The 1975’s career. Healy wrote some of his most introspective and complex lyrics for the album. I think that he realized where he is in life and changed to make the best out of it. Sometimes you have to go through hell to reach a positive turning point, and it’s clear that The 1975 have finally done just that.