“She just wants to feel something, I don’t think that’s asking for too much.”
Manchester’s The 1975 aren’t known for common sounds, but on their latest release I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it they take that to another level. Employing a myriad of genres should make for chaos, but their shared dreamy indie-electronic undertones give the album a united front. Maybe it’s a mess, but it’s a well done one.
Diving into the collection, you’re greeted by a self-titled intro before “Love Me” takes the stage. You’ve heard this pre-released 80’s pop declaration of consent before, highlighted by a theremin (or super synthed guitar), just like you’ve heard the 90’s R&B throwback “UGH!” (Every time we hear it, we know Salt N Peppa won’t be making an appearance. Every time, we hope for it anyways.)
The band’s signature contradictory beats and lyrics aren’t in short supply on this release “A Change Of Heart’ is cheerful as “bop bop’s” guide it along its slow tempo–that is, until you’re reminded it’s a The 1975 song with lyrics like “You look shit and you smell a bit.” In another conflict of themes, “Please Be Naked” has you plugging in headphones and running from public spaces, until you realize it’s more or less a wordless lullaby (and a beautiful one at that.)
“The Sound” is the most accessible song offered, and will be a smash radio hit this summer (we haven’t consulted our crystal ball yet, but we’re pretty sure.) Meanwhile, “This Must Be My Dream” is like if “Girls” + “Sex” got together for a jam session and is absolutely as great as it sounds.
“Nana” is a full minute of acoustic guitars that are completely untampered and lyrics that will have you in tears are an unexpected, but welcome, twist. The last song on the album, “She Lays Down”, follows suit, but it keeps its raw, live-in-studio sound all the way through. The vocals sound like they’re from across an empty room, and the lyrics are drenched in sorrow, but whether it be for its acoustic drive or the fact that you can understand every word Healy says (we’ll wait while you fall over in shock), the song is the prettiest and most breathtaking we’ve heard from The 1975. A spoken “That was it?” at the end of the track signals the end of your journey.
All in all, I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it is progressive, but in a way that doesn’t make you roll your eyes. At 17 songs, it would have done well with some editing, but it’ll still find a place in your heart, and your sleep playlist, probably.
Buy It, Skip It, Stream It: Buy It, to hear a combination of stress free sounds, depraved lyrics, and dance beats from another era that only The 1975 can deliver.
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To cut your listening time down, we’ve put together the definitive guide to the I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it tracklist.
- Love Me
- UGH!
- A Change Of Heart
- She’s American
- Please Be Naked
- The Ballad Of Me And My Brain
- Somebody Else
- Loving Someone
- The Sound
- This Must Be My Dream
- Paris
- Nana
- She Lays Down
