The 1975 - I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It

The 1975
I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It
2016
Spotify

The 1975 seem to garner hate on Justin Bieber levels. Their debut The 1975 was a pop rock hit factory and made them a real household name. However from that success and their unending ability to stick their feet in their mouth have made this sophomore release ripe for criticism before it even hit the shelves. Strip away the bands perceived self-importance, and their idea that somehow this music is more than it is and what you have is a really good pop record. That fact is simply undeniable. When you listen to The 1975, you nod your head, you dance along and get completely infected with their sound. "The Sound" is hands down one of the catchier more enjoyable songs that I have heard in a long time. Their sound can be light and swirling, funky or upbeat and fun they really are able to go anywhere and do just about anything. When an ego comes into play or someone has a little to much access to social media you are bound to get some craziness, and lead singer Matt Healy is no exception. But, I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It has a lot more heart than the first record and somehow feels much more organic than their super slick debut. The record does have a few to many intros and outros but the meat of the record is just clean really well done pop.

"Somebody Else" one of the singles is a surprise that you really wouldn't find coming from a pop record but it has heart and a really great beat. The video for "The Sound" features the band trapped in a plastic box while super critical reviews flash on the screen and to be that self-aware and tongue in cheek shows these boys know what they are doing. There are a few songs out of the massive 17 tracks that don't work so well like "Ugh" and "Please Be Naked" that do fall a bit flat. The production on I Like It... is extremely well done often surrounding you with sound and taking elements from almost every iteration of pop music. The 1975 are not trying to reinvent themselves or change their sound on this record they just want to keep doing what they do really well. What The 1975 never do is pander. Their music wholly their own from coke binges to love and right on to death they explore it all speak frankly and honestly throughout the whole process. You can go ahead and hate The 1975 but I doubt you actually listen, and if you did you would quickly change your mind. Cut the pretension and just listen.

8.2 out of 10