Review: The 1975 – ‘Give Yourself A Try’

Two years since The 1975 last ventured onto the airwaves, the swaggering quartet have finally provided some relief for their, at times insufferably, grandiose anticipating fan base with the release of new single ‘Give Yourself A Try’. The Manchester pop-rockers have somewhat departed from their superfluous melancholy from their previous album and sophomore release I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it, and instead have turned to what is arguably one of their most uplifting songs to date.

Headline-grabbing frontman Matty Healy has never been one to shy away from the limelight; despite being a visceral eccentric performer and outspoken character, it is no secret that Healy has had his demons, voluntarily enduring a stint in rehab in Barbados before recording their upcoming third studio album A Brief Enquiry Into Online Relationships. However, the release of ‘Give Yourself A Try’ is an heartening antidote that echoes the feelings of a man who is seemingly in a better place than recent tabloid history would suggest.

Maintaining the ever-haunting feel that comes with every The 1975 song, this latest release sees an emphasis on a blazing guitar that, although providing a new direction for the band, leaves questions over the boundaries between artistic inspiration and outright plagiarism, with the guitar line virtually indistinguishable from Joy Division’s classic ‘Disorder’. At first listen it can feel rather harsh and taxing, being such a shock difference to what we have come to expect from the poptastic melodies that override much of the band’s back catalogue, but little by little it is sure to grow on you.

Delving into the lines “You learn a couple things when you get to my age / Like friends don’t lie and it all tastes the same in the dark” we see Matty take us through the tribulations of closing in on your 30s, but as a whole the song screams reflective positivity rather than downtrodden misery. Although ‘Give Yourself A Try’ doesn’t quite hit the heights we may have hoped for, but it opens up an exciting avenue for the new album to live up to the unwavering hype.

‘Give Yourself A Try’ is available now via Dirty Hit.