Album Review: ‘A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships’ Shows Growth for The 1975

English pop band The 1975 released its third studio LP, A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, a 15-track masterwork imparting frontman Matty Healy’s struggles with his heroin addiction, love and difficult relationships involving the Internet, on Friday. This album comes as the band announced it will release another album, “Notes on a Conditional Form,” expected in the spring of 2019. With the majority of the track listing being guided by soft violins, roaring guitar riffs and subdued synths, A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships exhibits the sublime development of the band into something worthy of much praise.

A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships comes just over two years after the release of sophomore LP, I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it, which combined groovy-based melodies with methodically intricate lyricism. Before The 1975 came to be, the band members performed under other various titles, including Forever Drawing Six and Drive Like I Do, before releasing an EP and finding mainstream success with the track “Chocolate.”

The 1975 has consistently changed its sound with each new release – and A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships is no different. Although much more mellow and stripped down than previous works, the album still gets The 1975’s message across: the band is here to make music that withstands time through unrepeatably wondrous artistry. There is no wholly unappealing song on the album – though the monotonous “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME” doesn’t offer much – but some are blatantly more sensational than others. Here is a breakdown of the best five tracks from the album:

5. “The Man Who Married A Robot/Love Theme”

The entire concept of the album would not work without “The Man Who Married A Robot/Love Theme.” The first two minutes are a monologue spoken by the male, British version of Siri, who explains the development of a relationship between a man – referred to as “@SnowflakeSmasher86” – and his best friend, the Internet. Healy revealed in an interview with Pitchfork that he intensely relates to the lonesome man who falls in love with the Internet, and that this song is “the acknowledgement of an already existing dystopian reality.” The spoken word ends as Siri divulges that the man died “in his lonely house / on that lonely street / in that lonely part of the world,” because the man invested so much of his time into a relationship with the Internet that he died alone, without any human connection. The subdued piano that is apparent throughout the whole track then immediately intensifies as it crescendos into a string-dominated, delightful instrumental – the “Love Theme.” This track powerfully demonstrates where the dependence of humankind on technology is going – and may force all listeners think twice about their toxic relationship with the Internet.

4. “Mine”

“Mine” offers Healy’s perspective on not feeling the need to marry the love of his love because he finds the relationship is fine as it is. This mellow, jazzy track shows his counterpart thinks that Healy is wasting her time, but he “see[s] sunshine ’cause I know you are mine” – he’s not worried about it. He adds that “For some reason / I just can’t say ‘I do,’” and the strings and soft drumming add the feeling of contentment that Healy feels with the current state of the relationship. Healy has disclosed his opinion on avoiding marriage before, as seen in the track “So Far (It’s Alright)” from the deluxe version of The 1975’s self-titled, debut album “The 1975” from 2013. The relatability of fearing commitment allows all listeners to discover something to love in “Mine.”

3. “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)”

Released as the fifth and finale single for the album, “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You” is classic The 1975. Completed by a groovy guitar line, a choir and dauntless lyrics, Healy imparts the story of his past heroin addiction and how he has overcome it. He discloses the heroin would “collapse my veins, wearing beautiful shoes” – insinuating it didn’t appear cataclysmic but as an appealing distraction from the other unfavorable events bombarding Healy’s life. The liveliness of the track uncovers both Healy’s struggle with the drug and his eventual, ultimate success without it through rehab, which he comprehensively explains in his interview with NPR. The track shows there is hope for everyone despite whatever it is you’re going through.

2. “I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)”

Concluding the album in an epic fashion, “I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)” showcases some of Healy’s best vocals to date and finishes with an eerie violin-based instrumental. The track is from a suicidal perspective, but the ultimate message Healy wants listeners to get from it is in the overtly simplistic lyric: “if you can’t survive, just try.” The contradictory song title gives off the notion that suicidal individuals continually feel deeply depressed, but Healy says, for him, he only feels that way occasionally – “sometimes.” The mystifying instrumental that closes the track manifests the uneasy mindset of these individuals. The track is – put simply – a beautiful way to end the album.

1. “Be My Mistake”

Acoustically driven and accompanied by soft synths and compelling harmonies, “Be My Mistake” is a ballad about only being with someone when you feel particularly lonely. Healy revealed in the Pitchfork interview that this song is entirely about feeling guilty, and not knowing what you truly want out of life and certain relationships. The track conveys Healy has a woman he hooks up with only when he’s lonely; when he’s with this woman, he can’t help but compare her to a more superior woman he loves, saying “the smell of your hair reminds me of her feet.” When he’s in a good state of mind, Healy pleads, “so don’t wait outside my hotel room / just wait ’til I give you a sign / ’cause I get lonesome sometimes.” The interconnection of the lyricism and emotionally inducing instrumentation blatantly make “Be My Mistake” the best track on the album.

Rating: 8/10

Here’s a link to the Spotify playlist for the album: https://open.spotify.com/album/6PWXKiakqhI17mTYM4y6oY

Album Review: Imagine Dragons releases substandard album in ‘Origins’

This review originally appeared on thepostathens.com.

Four-man band Imagine Dragons, prominently known for its hit songs “Radioactive” and “Believer,” released its fourth studio album, Origins, on Friday. The 15-track record has a few songs reminiscent of the inviting, aggressively-driven instrumentation of the band’s debut LP, Night Visions, but is ultimately influenced by the conventions of electropop – and not in a commendable fashion.

Origins marks the band’s fourth album release in six years, and fans are worried the band is continually pushing out content just to please them. Frontman Dan Reynolds said in an interview with Apple Music that “we have the ability to continually feed the culture and fan base of Imagine Dragons, so why not do that?” The album also comes not too long after Reynolds announced on Twitter in April that he and his wife, singer Aja Volkman, have decided to part ways after seven years. Reynolds later explained in an interview with Zane Lowe that the pair never actually signed the papers and are attempting to patch up the relationship. The album may be a cathartic release and coping mechanism for Reynolds during this difficult time, as seen conspicuously in tracks like “Boomerang” and “Cool Out.”

Origins differs heavily from the songs that made Imagine Dragons eminent in the music industry, and loyal fans seemingly dislike that. Experimentation within bands is inevitable and it isn’t always bad – but listeners have every right to be concerned here. Nothing about “Bullet In A Gun” works. The deeper meaning behind “Digital” is clever, but it’s all over the place instrumentally. The chorus of “Only” sounds like something straight out of a song by The Chainsmokers. Reynolds doesn’t sound genuine in “Love” until the breakdown in the last minute. Origins is not sonically cohesive and lacks intricacy, but there are some exceptions. Let’s focus on the few stimulating tracks that Imagine Dragons provide us here. Here’s a breakdown of the best five tracks – and frankly, the only ones worth listening to – from Origins:

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