![Keep the drama intact:]()
Keep the drama intact: "Now everybody's dead / And they're driving past my old school," sings Healy in 'Robbers', "He's got his gun, he's got his suit on / She says, 'Baby, you look so cool." Not exactly your typical pop-rock lyrical content. The video is equally dramatic, with Healy and his on-screen love interest gumming cocaine in a cinema before robbing a shop to fund their addiction. More gleefully melodramatic fare would be much appreciated.
![Accept their pop sensibilities:]()
Accept their pop sensibilities: "We're not a pop band," Matt Healy insists petulantly at the start of 'Girls'. It's a tongue-in-cheek nod to their reputation - but, one suspects, reflects how he genuinely feels. But, for all their monochromatic pretentions (most of which we are fully on board with), The 1975 are, at their core, a really great pop band. The sooner they embrace this, the better.
![More ace music videos: 'Girls', as we said before, is a tongue-in-cheek parody of the way MTV-era bands were forced into perky, objectifying videos. It's enjoyable, but many of the rest, in black & white and with mysterious, engaging narratives, are like ambitious mini-movies.]()
More ace music videos: 'Girls', as we said before, is a tongue-in-cheek parody of the way MTV-era bands were forced into perky, objectifying videos. It's enjoyable, but many of the rest, in black & white and with mysterious, engaging narratives, are like ambitious mini-movies.
![More scuzzy guitars of 'The City': Though they're still unmistakably The 1975 - we wouldn't want them to abandon the lighter sound that broke them into the mainstream - the scuzzy, pulsing instrumental beneath 'The City' is a breath of fresh, gritty air.]()
More scuzzy guitars of 'The City': Though they're still unmistakably The 1975 - we wouldn't want them to abandon the lighter sound that broke them into the mainstream - the scuzzy, pulsing instrumental beneath 'The City' is a breath of fresh, gritty air.
![Take the accent down a notch or two: We're not asking Matt Healy to refrain altogether from his distinctive yodelling, or the so-British-it's-almost-alien accent with which he sings, but perhaps he could do with taking it down a notch in order for the emotional punch of the songs to fully come through.]()
Take the accent down a notch or two: We're not asking Matt Healy to refrain altogether from his distinctive yodelling, or the so-British-it's-almost-alien accent with which he sings, but perhaps he could do with taking it down a notch in order for the emotional punch of the songs to fully come through.
![More like 'Menswear': With an opening that sounds like it's submerged underwater, and which is drawn out longer than most pop bands would dare, 'Menswear' eventually surfaces into a punchy, syncopated delight. More of this please.]()
More like 'Menswear': With an opening that sounds like it's submerged underwater, and which is drawn out longer than most pop bands would dare, 'Menswear' eventually surfaces into a punchy, syncopated delight. More of this please.
![A little more variety: Obviously, the light, jangly guitar hooks and funk-influenced melodies work excellently. They've gained The 1975 one of the most dedicated following of any band in recent years. But, if they're in it for the long haul (and we suspect they are), they're going to have to work out how to deviate more often from this formula. Lord knows they can - just visit their many early EPs. They love Radiohead as much as they love pop. Let's just hope this album shows off their every side.]()
A little more variety: Obviously, the light, jangly guitar hooks and funk-influenced melodies work excellently. They've gained The 1975 one of the most dedicated following of any band in recent years. But, if they're in it for the long haul (and we suspect they are), they're going to have to work out how to deviate more often from this formula. Lord knows they can - just visit their many early EPs. They love Radiohead as much as they love pop. Let's just hope this album shows off their every side.
![Continue to draw from diverse influences: The band love Radiohead as much as they love Taylor Swift - and we'd like to see this unapologetically nonsensical taste range find its way, even more often, into their music.]()
Continue to draw from diverse influences: The band love Radiohead as much as they love Taylor Swift - and we'd like to see this unapologetically nonsensical taste range find its way, even more often, into their music.
![Uphold but evolve the powerful aesthetic: The monochromatic vibe has probably run its course at this point. And, with the unveiling of their new pink artwork a few months back, we suspect The 1975 would agree. If they can evolve beyond the aesthetic of album one, while still upholding its starkness, they're destined for continued success.]()
Uphold but evolve the powerful aesthetic: The monochromatic vibe has probably run its course at this point. And, with the unveiling of their new pink artwork a few months back, we suspect The 1975 would agree. If they can evolve beyond the aesthetic of album one, while still upholding its starkness, they're destined for continued success.
