By Grace Koennecke, Managing Editor

For some of you who may be reading this column, you’re probably rolling your eyes about this band I’m about to rant about, and honestly, I don’t blame you. The band in question, The 1975, has had a whirlwind couple of years, with plenty of ups and downs. 

From lead singer Matty Healy’s infamous statements throughout much of 2023 and 2024 to his rumored romance with Taylor Swift, as well as the band’s recently cleared lawsuit involving the Malaysian Good Vibes Festival, The 1975 is a band you either love or hate. Unfortunately, I’m still one of those fans that love them.

Trust me, I’m not a big fan of Healy. However, I think The 1975 is one of my favorite bands because of how well they’re able to bring certain feelings, emotions and storylines to life. In particular, this quality of the band is most evident and cohesive on their first album, 2013’s The 1975. So, this week’s love letter goes to this album because it was one I played excessively in middle and high school, and now I listen to it to feel the nostalgia of the mid-2010s and those years where I felt unsure of myself.

Looking through the entirety of its tracklist, its 16 songs are a range of thoughts, jumping from stories about navigating young relationships to songs about drugs and sex. Its subject matter was also full frontal and controversial for the time period it was released. It’s not shocking that Healy and the rest of the band would be open about their personal lives, as The 1975 has become a band known for being brutally honest and introspective. 

Although, I really love this album because of its mix of influences – from 1980s-inspired pop to early 2000s alt-rock – and I think it really proved how much potential the band had. These sounds would continue to flourish on the band’s following album, such as 2016’s I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it and 2018’s A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, and The 1975 has since become a popular name in pop and alternative music because of how well-crafted their early albums were.

One of the most interesting tracks on the album, and what has become a staple track on each album from The 1975, is the self-titled track. A little over a minute long, this introduction to the album sets up the rest of it, with Healy singing about oral pleasure. While it is a deeply revealing experience to sing about, I also think this song can be interpreted as one about desire and experiencing more intimate interactions in life, which is not always sung about. Coming from a younger version of Healy, it is a diaristic song to its core and suggests he isn’t embarrassed of his sexuality.

Following this track is “The City,” which is about wanting more out of life in youth and trying to move away from comfortability. Healy sings, “Yeah, you wanna find love, then you know where the city is,” with the rest of the track serving as a fictional tale of two young lovers trying to find happiness and success. I think the production of this song is also just lighthearted with a good mix of synths, drums and piano to keep with Healy’s fast-paced narrative. It’s overall a relatable track about wanting to move on from childhood and be independent, especially when it feels like every day life is mundane, and I can relate to this song a lot as someone who has big aspirations.

Obviously, I can’t write this without mentioning the band’s most popular song, “Chocolate.” A song that mostly consists of Healy’s nearly incomprehensible lyrics, it feels like you’re sitting in the backseat of a car with the band, with Healy using the euphemism of chocolate to talk about marijuana. With this in mind, it really is a song about feeling bored in your hometown in your teenage years and wanting to find excitement in experimentation. I always will like this song because it has a classic sound to it that feels reminiscent of other artists like Two Door Cinema Club or Phoenix. 

In a similar vein, “Sex” is another song that keeps up the same tempo and classic alt-rock sound on the album. Seeing this song live two years ago was quite impressive, as the band sounded exactly like they did 12 years ago, and I think it proves how timeless this song has become in The 1975’s discography. As the title suggests, this song talks a lot about exploring sex and intimacy in youth, and discovering at times how awkward and confusing it can be. The growling guitars and overall loudness of this track allows it to be one of the catalysts on the record, and I hear a lot of this song’s influence in the band’s most recent record, 2022’s Being Funny In A Foreign Language. 

Another personal favorite of mine is “Heart Out,” and every time I hear this song I just feel so cool, I’m sorry! This track has a 1980s-pop synth sound that is a staple now looking through The 1975’s discography, and it centers around Healy wanting to get to know a potential love interest better. Desperate for this person to give him attention, he admits to some of his flaws, such as being a forgetful and an easily distracted person, but I definitely think this is one of the best love songs on the album. The lyrics are also pretty telling of the situation, with some of my favorites being, “It’s just you and I tonight / Why don’t you figure my heart out?” and “You got something to say? / Why don’t you speak it out loud / Instead of living in your head?”

If you’re a long-time fan like myself, “Robbers” is another song on this album that has become a universal anthem in The 1975’s fanbase. A devastating love song about two lovers trapped in a toxic situation, it uses the symbols of robbers to discuss how their relationship is dangerous and addictive at times. The music video for this song is one I’ll always remember watching for the first time and being totally in awe of its storyline, and the visuals the band created are some of the best from the 2010s. You also have to shout out Healy’s vocals on this track, as his painful wails during the repetition of the line “You look so cool” is probably one of the most memorable moments on this album.

With so many more tracks to choose from, the last one I’ll end on is actually from the deluxe version of this album, called “You.” When I saw The 1975 a few years ago, the band actually surprised the audience and played this song, and I can’t even begin to explain the waves of nostalgia that washed over me during it. This is probably one of my favorite songs of all time, as I think I’ve always been able to relate to it.

In this song, the band in my opinion talks about associating themselves with people who make them feel lesser than, and I think that happens to everyone in life whether it be in relationships with family, friends or significant others. Healy’s tone in this song is pretty chilling, as well as his lyricism, and it’s clear he doesn’t like feeling used or deceived. He sings, “And you’re a liar / At least all of your friends are,” but the most piercing lines are in the chorus, “Yeah, it takes a bit more / Yeah, it takes a bit more than you.”

When reflecting on this album, I definitely know it shaped a lot of my music taste, even if I didn’t realize it at the time of its release. Even though The 1975 isn’t the most likable band at times, I think I find solace in their music because it is universal to the experience of being young and easily impressionable. I like how their music makes me think, and that it feels so grand when you fully sit down and listen with the volume all the way up. In all, The 1975 by The 1975 is an album that stays timeless and nostalgic for me, and I will always enjoy its premise and placement in my life.

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