Pop-rock band The 1975 take a lot of their musical and lyrical inspiration from earlier forms of pop music. More specifically, records from the ‘80s and even the early ‘90s are what the band builds their music upon.
Their newest album, “A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships” is no different, yet the band molds this inspiration and their own creativity to put out their best album to date. While their first two albums are enjoyable, their latest is on a different level of excellence.
Starting off the album, “Give Yourself A Try,” “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME” and “Love It If We Made It” set the standard for how good this album is going to be. “Give Yourself A Try” puts a lot of emphasis on the screeching guitar rift, as that plays throughout the song. It’s fast-paced with a really smooth bassline that gets tied up nicely in the chorus.
“TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME” has a groovy, club-like beat to it that should be applauded. These two songs were also part of the five singles released before the album came out.
“Love It If We Made It” is by far the best song on the entire album. Also from the collection of singles, the song packs a punch from the very start and doesn’t slow down. This song has a lot of politically topical lyrics that really drive its message that the band would really love it if we could all get out of this mess of a world and live in one piece.
This is where the album hits a kind of a snag. While every song on the album is enjoyable in their own right, it’s the middle section of the album that seems to take a dip in quality. From “Be My Mistake” to “Inside Your Mind,” these songs aren’t quite as impactful as the ones that led off “A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships.”
“Be My Mistake” is a slower ballad that brings quick beat of the previous songs to a halt. It’s a fine and lovely song, but it should’ve been paired with the other slower songs on the back end of the album. The same could also be said for “Inside Your Mind.”
“Sincerity Is Scary” has a jazzier feel to it that, again, if proceeding a song like the similarly jazzy “Mine,” would have made that much better of an impact. “The Man Who Married A Robot/ Love Theme” is the album’s interlude. It’s awkward, and with the weird text-to-speech, it’s the most off-putting track on the album.
“I Like America & America Likes Me” is a more synthy, politically charged song that really stands out in the album’s middle. It’s one of the shorter songs, yet it doesn’t waste any time with its solid beat and lyrics.
“It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)” and “I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)” are the last two songs worth mentioning off of the 15-track record. The former is a very ’80s influenced track that, if it had been released back then, really could’ve skyrocketed to stardom. The song still deserves praise for just being very fun and vibrant.
“I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)” closes the entire album beautifully. Starting off slow, it builds throughout its five-minute runtime. With a darker subject matter, it says to keep going even if life seems to not be in your favor. It’s very powerful and a message that should be echoed more in media.
“A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships” really triumphs with how consistently good each song is. While some songs should have been paired with others in order for their impact to be felt more, it’s not only the 1975’s best album but also one of the year’s best albums.
