New Music Recs: “The Sound” by The 1975

 

Now this is what we call a jam. The 1975’s new single “The Sound,” from their upcoming mouthful of an album I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It, is a real winner. Listen here.

It has a hook of a chorus: “Well I know when you’re around cause I know the sound/
I know the sound, of your heart.” And that line repeats, just like a hypnotic heartbeat. Not only that, the whole song has a groovy unz-unz beat that brings to mind video games or even the electronic disco style that was so popular in the early 2000s. If you listen to Lemon Demon at all, you know what I’m talking about.

I also like how self-aware the song is. “I can’t believe I forgot your name/Oh baby won’t you come again?” Matt Healy’s delivery of this pun is very similar to the fancy wordplay of the Arctic Monkeys. Both bands are good about analyzing modern dating culture – while being honest about their participation in it.

Speaking of which, Healy goes on to talk about how the subject of the song had a “problem with [his] shoes” but “might move in” anyway. Later, he writes that he’s seen as a “Socratic junkie wannabe.” He knows that he’s often dismissed as a hipster. And, like any good hipster, he’s going to write a song about it. Because just like the girl in the song, who will come back anytime she’s bored, Healy knows that we will come back to listen to whatever new tricks he and his band are up to. We’re curious, and we just might move in anyway.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *