Old Album Reviews: The 1975’s “A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships”

Did the band’s third studio album exceed its cult-like following’s expectations?

What does it take to actually find oneself in today’s age? — in a world tangled in a web so far from reality it couldn’t reach it with a ten-foot pole. That has been what has been on my mind following my favorite band, The 1975’s, latest album release.

On that album, Matty Healy, frontman and my one and true personal idol, opens up about his drug addiction. He’s struggled with it for years. He also speaks his mind about growing up in this millennial-ever-changing world.

He makes a lot of interesting observations without ever being objective. He said in an interview that he wants the listener to choose a message from his words and his album.

The album is uniquely titled A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships. It dissects our generation’s relationship with the internet. And how it directly affects our ought-self and the world we live in.

In the song titled “Love It If We Made It” he breaks down years’ worth of newspaper headlines within the lyrics. Referencing refugee crisis, the Black Lives Matter movement, increasingly invasive technology, religion, and the demise of politics.

In it, he even sings words verbatim of Donald Trump himself.

“I moved on her like a bitch,” — former POTUS, Donald Trump.

Healy was quoted in an interview saying if the band was to be censored on the radio, it may as well have been directly relaying words of the leader of the Free World. And there’s no better way to sum up his repeated message of “modernity has failed us” than that.

Through all the frustrating realities of our world, however, Healy remains hopeful. Singing “I’d love it if we made it,” in the hook referring to Us as a society.

Modernity’s failure was much more difficult to grasp than anticipated. Healy, remaining hopeful, seemed calm with our realities despite bringing up these failures.

I thought — how could anyone be content with themselves while understanding the hopelessness of these realities?

The world is in a helplessly desperate place. With access to such a large wealth of information on the internet, it’s hard to know where you fit into it.

It has become truly difficult to know who you are and what you will stand for.

As a matter of fact, it seems even with more opportunity than ever, most people are choosing complacency — myself included. There are too many lost causes to dedicate ourselves. It has become an excuse for being spiritless.

Many of us stand for the idea of change — especially as it relates to humanity and political rights. But very few are trying to stir change.

We’ve become so lost in our own small trappings of life. We create an illusion in our heads of being too busy. Meanwhile, the Earth falls. Meanwhile, too, nobody discovers who they are.

That’s what Healy has found that allows him to be calm and create art like this. He has found exactly himself and to do that, he had to get through sincere insanity.

We are lost in a maze of the worldwide web. It takes isolation and insanity to get us out.

Very few people have to suffer through that. Even fewer make it out. But the ones who do are the ones we need to listen to before it’s too late.

The message of The 1975’s latest album has struck a chord stronger than I’m capable of handling in times like these. But the impact is important.