ALBUM: The 1975 - 'I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It'

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The 1975 released their debut self-titled album in September 2013. It was the autumn that ‘Chocolate’ melted the hearts of young girls, and lead singer Matthew Healey appeared in music magazines sporting an exceptionally bold haircut. The band have returned with their second album, boasting the lengthy romantic title, I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It. There are seventeen tracks to listen to, so there’s a genuine danger of falling asleep mid-listen – so you’ll need either a genuine love of this band, or a superior amount of patience to fully appreciate their latest offering.

Sex and desire have fuelled the band’s song-writing from the start, and new track ‘Love Me’ continues this promiscuous precedent. The single sounds similar to ‘Need You Tonight’ by that little known Australian pop-rock outfit, INXS – “similar” being a polite understatement – but the beat’s catchier than a cold on public transport, and your hips will be prone to involuntary thrusts when the chorus kicks in. ‘A Change Of Heart’ sees the band bust out their slow synths as Healy “quotes On The Road like a twat”. It’s a self-pitying, anti-romance anthem; but it will appeal to those in their late teens, trapped in tempestuous romances, convinced that cigarettes and personal appearances are the sole components of a successful relationship.

Scathing comparisons aside, The 1975 do know how to deliver effortless melodies and catchy choruses; and they achieve this on tracks like ‘She’s American’. Even when they dig below the shallow surface on ‘If I Believe You’ – which sees Healy explore his “God-shaped hole that’s infected” – it’s still pretty catchy. ‘Please Be Naked’ and ‘Lostmyhead’ are simple, blissful atmospheric listens, whilst ‘The Ballad Of Me And My Brain’ is less of a ballad, more of a vocalisation of random thoughts. It’s easy to knock the lyricism here, but Healy’s got a passionate set of lungs on him and his vocals are strong.

‘Somebody Else’ is a trip back in time to the electronic romance of the eighties. Seductive synths and steady percussion play out as Healy gets caught up in images of his ex-lover entwined with someone else. It leads nicely in to ‘Loving Someone’, on which the band mildly undermine their lusty reputations:“instead of selling sex… I think I should be loving someone…”. Titular track ‘I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It’ is six minutes of twinkling synths with a disco-esque finale. If you were troubled by Healy’s infected “God shaped hole” earlier in the album, fear not, on ‘The Sound’ he’s well and truly over that 3 minute anxiety attack, and you will be too when your feet start twitching to the rhythm.

Changing the tone entirely is ‘Nana’, a sweet ode to a clearly much-loved and cherished relative. It’s an unusual inclusion on an album that’s dedicated to illicit night-time behaviour; but grief affects us all in different ways, so it feels wrong to judge this one too harshly. Closing track ‘She Lays Down’ is an acoustic, melancholy tune which closes the album like a slow-dance song at a school disco.

Ultimately, The 1975 admitted on track ‘UGH!’ that “This conversation’s not about reciprocation” – and they’re spot on. I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It, is a self-indulgent, but exceptionally catchy piece of pop-rock which seeks to satisfy the band, and the band’s fans alone. Best leave this one on the shelf if you’re a) not Matthew Healy, b) not a fan of Matthew Healy.

I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It is out now via Dirty Hit.