REVIEW: The 1975 – ‘IV’

ARTIST: The 1975
ALBUM: IV
GENRE: Alternative rock
LABEL: Vagrant Records

The 1975 have been playing music since 2002, but they haven’t always been known by that name. They tested out a number of different names, before they finally settled on The 1975. It was inspired by a note hand written inside a book vocalist Matthew Healy found, which, coupled with some other writings on the previous owner’s descent into insanity and desire to take their life, struck a chord with Healy. IV will be the band’s fourth EP, and is the build up to the band’s first full length album, which is expected to hit stores September of this year.

The EP starts off with the song “The City,” this is my personal favorite track on the album. It has a catchy, repetitive chorus that will get stuck in your head for days. It’s also the most upbeat track on the album, relatively speaking. The next track is “Haunt//Bed.” This track is slow, quiet, and just a bit haunting (not to take from the song title, but it really is, just listen to it for yourself!). Needless to say, the vocals are beautiful, not only in this track but all of them. However, with them being so faint it’s difficult to really appreciate them.

The last two tracks, “So Far (It’s Alright)” and “fallingforyou” follow the same design as “Haunt//Bed” and are also quiet, soft and have eerie vocals. This is something that works just fine for a four track EP, but would probably not be something that would be so successful for a full length album. They took a bit of a risk with their new sound, so we’ll soon find out if that was a step in the right direction.

No one can deny that The 1975 are taking a new approach to their genre, and because of that they are quickly becoming more and more popular in the UK. From what it seems, they are gaining some momentum in the US as well. Their sound might not sit well with everyone, and it certainly will take a certain kind of person to enjoy these beats–I know I would personally love to hear a little bit more of a defined sound. I enjoy it for what it is though, and it’s likely most people who are already fans will enjoy it as well.

If you’re a sucker for some mellow indie rock with haunting melodies and airy vocals, then you should definitely pick up this EP. These guys have put together a very memorable album and there are a lot of expectations for their full-length release this coming fall.

SCORE: 8/10
Review written by Kriston McConnell

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4 Responses to “REVIEW: The 1975 – ‘IV’”

  1. Jane says:

    Good review, however I do have to say that this ‘new sound’ that you speak of is not new to them at all, they have songs similar on their previous 3 EP’s…just saying.

  2. Kriston McConnell says:

    Hey there, thanks for reading! I had the chance to listen to their other songs before writing the review, and you’re definitely right there are a lot of similarities between this EP and their others. I probably use the wrong words to articulate my thought, but I felt overall they decided to record more in that quiet, haunting sound which isn’t necessarily a “new” sound to them, it just feels that they approached it a bit differently this time. I’m very much looking forward to hearing some new music and am excited to see what they put into a full length album.

  3. Mark Lombardo says:

    I adored this review. I have been into the 1975 for a couple of months now and all of their music is very authentic and introspective. Excellent and well thought out review Kriston.

    If you like the sound of the 1975 – you will also be into the band that I manage, Titanics. It is a tranquil / indie pop sound from Albany, NY gaining much attention right now. If you would like a ZIP file of the album for review you can email us at titanicsmusic@gmail.com and I’ll forward it to you! Love your style.

    http://www.titanics.bandcamp.com

  4. Calvin says:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=334ES54T1rg&feature=youtu.be
    Check out my drum cover Ghosts by the 1975!