After sending fans into a frenzy in summer 2015 by deleting their social media accounts before returning shortly afterwards with a pink rebrand, even the title of The 1975’s second album – I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It – is breathtaking, following frontman Matty Healy saying in an interview that he wanted the followup to The 1975 to have a longer title merely because their first was short. Who are we to question Healy’s genius?
I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It comprises 17 tracks, including the same self-titled intro as their debut with a gospel choir in the background. Later, this theme persists: the choir can also be found in ‘If I Believe You,’ the longest vocal track on the record as what can only be described as six minutes of a spiritual experience, especially when performed live as the gospel choir are ushered on stage for the encore. Resonance with more distant earlier work continues, with a number of the new songs evident continuations or prequels. ‘A Change Of Heart,’ for example, lifts a line (“She used to have a face straight out of a magazine”) directly from ‘Robbers’ whilst elaborating its story; ‘Lostmyhead,’ said to the first songs ever written by the band, revisits 2012’s songs ‘Facedown’ for a Star Wars-like approach to disparate chronology.
Where I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It flourishes is in its rounded, bombastic aesthetic. No matter what you make of Healy’s stage presence, he’s busy captivating arenas around the world. If it’s tender pondering you’re after, you’ll find it in ‘Somebody Else,’ but not before ‘Love Me,’ a startling reflection on fame, has its way. And, if getting caught up in celebrity gossip is your thing, have fun speculating upon ‘She’s American.’ Without naming names, someone at I met at a gig was convinced it was written about her on the grounds that she met Healy after a concert and told him his teeth were crooked, but competition is fierce with vague rumours regarding its muse being Taylor Swift or Halsey. Either way, it is instrumental in forming an album that is a real crowd pleaser, much like The 1975 themselves.
I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It was released on February 26th via Dirty Hit and Polydor
