Their second record, the ridiculously-titled I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it carries in much the same vein. With a total disregard for expectations, this won’t convert any new fans, but it does see the band successfully honing their sound and exploring new things. Love Me hits you with an urgency the band didn’t have on their self-titled debut, but still sounds distinctly like The 1975.

Much of that exploration isn’t as successful as the band would like it to be. Four long ambient tracks don’t help the album’s already-long running time (if you thought the title was long, wait until you listen to the record). But the record feels positively alive because the songs are so much fun, despite their sometimes-unwelcome ambition.

That ambition is all over the record, though. The band stretches themselves the way Radiohead might, but they’re dressed in unconventional pop music instead of rock. It’s messy and sometimes confused — not unlike their debut.

This is a band seemingly undeterred by their own ridiculousness, though: they embrace it. On tracks like The Ballad of Me and My Brain, Loving Someone, or If I Believe You, the band plays with multiple sounds and lyrics that would sound ridiculous if you read them on paper. Healy gives them an air of dreamy confidence that gives the band legitimacy and credence.

Also notable about The 1975 is their total lack of guitar tracks: there are few bands in rock and roll who actively avoid the electric guitar. While it often makes The 1975 feel like a boy band, we’re all going to look back differently on them as a 2010s-style version of The Cure, throwing out emotional radio-ready tunes in a style of rock that preys on everything popular in an attempt to avoid becoming singularly identifiable. In that sense, the band avoids the macho posturing that often comes with rock music and embraces a sense of optimism and vision that separates them from the rest of their peers. In other words: The 1975 doesn’t pander to their audience.

For better or for worse, The 1975 are here to stay. I like it when you sleep is unconventional, daring, absurd, and ridiculous, but you’ll want to love it despite all that.

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This is a band you’ll immediately recognize as being incredibly layered and nuanced with its details. I love it. Chocolate is another catchy radio song that I can guarantee is going to get some great airplay — especially that post-chorus. Sex is as catchy as you could imagine a song on that topic being, maybe catchier. Heart Out sounds like it’s straight out of the 1980’s, and Settle Down maintains that upbeat. Robbers is slower, and that’s when the album takes a turn.

A lot of people might misinterpret the album’s later tracks as being indications that the band can’t maintain a set of quality tracks, but slowing down makes it feel very emotional. Menswear is aesthetically beautiful, and when Matthew Healy finally starts singing, it feels nearly cathartic. Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You is totally different from the rest of the album, but its slow and sad melody makes me pause. I’m a sucker for a melancholic final track.

The 1975 is the kind of album you’ll want to put on repeat again and again and again, and I wish I could just share a Youtube link to every track. A must-listen.

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