It has been three weeks since The 1975 released their third album, ‘A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships.’ This album is pretty far from sounding like their previous pieces of work. It is for sure not a bad sounding album, though, just different. This album is one that you can both dance to and just lay in bed and chill out to. Songs in this album have very deep meanings behind them, sometimes a little hard to figure out unless you really pay attention to the lyrics.
The first time I heard this album, I was shook. From the beginning to the end, it is like a roller coaster sound wise, but not in a bad way – it is as if you are on a roller coaster in which each song is different than the previous one. I also got to listen to it with strangers at a listening party at a record store, and it was so much fun. Sharing a passion for the same music with strangers in a room is actually quite interesting, but also amazing. I had a great time.
Anyways, let’s go..
“Shook.” But to a certain extent. You begin listening to the track “The 1975.” It starts off with a nice piano solo that brings calmness to your soul that then goes on to become background music. Lyrics that The 1975 fans all probably know by now start up suddenly, and it is very opposite of before. It is more “robotic.” What this track does is really introduce the listener to the album’s vibe and how it will sound like here and there. The 1975 did a fantastic job with this opening track.
Skipping to track number five, “Love It If We Made It” expresses how the modern world has failed us. So many sad things have been happening around us, and even the music video for this song shows that. But the first verse is what really grasps your attention especially with the lyrics, “We’re just left to decay.” We are all here living with these negative things going on, so if we could just make it to the end okay, we would love that.
“The Man Who Married A Robot / Love Theme.” What a song – not one that is sung, but one that is talked throughout as if a computerized voice was doing all the talking. Begins with, “This is a story about a lonely, lonely man.” This song really sticks out not only because how how it is expressed, but its meaning. A relationship between man and the internet is something we all know about. The track goes on about the man’s obsession with the internet. It is really an eye opener because we don’t always think about us being “obessed” with it, but a lot of us are. “And then he died in his lonely house, on the lonely street, in that lonely part of the world.” A sad ending, but that is, in reality, how some of us will end. Some will only have the internet because it is all they payed attention to, all they obsessed over. This song is a scary reality.
The one major “flaw” the album has is that there are too many slower tunes in a row before a quick melody comes back. Overall, it is a great work of art. Not only were the lyrics magnificent with great, deep meanings, but the track titles were brilliant as well. People even made comments on the last track’s title for example, “I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes).” Some were from college students expressing how it is how they felt the week of finals, some being from others because of work. It was humorous, but the song was not only shared because of its title, but also because of how it is as a whole – starts with a nice acoustic guitar, a good way to exit.
You can take a listen to the album down below if you haven’t yet, and make sure to leave a comment with your thoughts. The 1975 will be heading out on tour next year and you can check out the dates here. Happy listening, and also, happy holidays!
