Manchester’s 1975 haven’t wasted any time in getting the follow up to the Facedown EP which was released in August. Facedown featured previous Tune of the Week track The City. While The City was instantly accessible the rest of the EP seemed minimal atmospheric and deliberate as if the band did not want to get them pigeonholed on the basis of the lead track.
‘Intro/Set 3’ starts with layered vocals against a synth sampled atmospheric backdrop. There are still elements of how the ‘Facedown EP’ progressed but here they have taken the production a step further sampling and looping vocals. The atmospheric feeling continues in ‘Undo’, with it’s breathy vocals and effected drum pattern giving off an urban vibe. There’s a whole lot more to The 1975 than their radio play suggests and it’s interesting to see how the two sides of the one band exist together. Both varieties are good and memorable, it’s just like they have two different styles.
Although the band have been together for about ten years, the members are still in their very early twenties and this just could be them evolving as they record. The title track ‘Sex’, has garnered radio play across these Isles and it’s not surprising why. It’s and uptempo radio friendly track with grungey guitars, telling of the exploits of encounters in ‘the back of my van’ and repeats the line ‘She’s got a Boyfriend anyway’. Yeah, we know the drill you dawg! Expect to hear this at your local indie disco this weekend.
The EP finishes with ‘You’, another track where the 1975 are in rock band mode. The track builds from vocals, drum beat and guitar hook and plateaus, leaving you waiting and hanging for the major kick. This track is about sex too as our leader singer says “It’s not my fault if I’ve fcuked everyone here’. The track rhythm changes and builds yet again to reveal a musical rock crescendo with guitars drums, strings and vocals combining. Then comes the blankness, yes at 26 minutes and 10 seconds, ‘You’ obviously is home to a ‘secret track’, ‘Milk’. This track could be filed next to ‘Sex’, it has nineties feel to it and where the vocals on ‘Sex’ seem more urgent, here the vocals are very reverb washed, reminiscent of the early days of britpop.
This is an enjoyable journey through the musical magpies of Manchester, this is only an EP though, I’m not saying they’ll go post dubstep on an album but I can’t wait to see what they’ve got in store.
As a side note: I’m looking forward to seeing how they can pull this off live and take all influences and put them into a full coherent set. Won’t have long to wait, they’re playing:
December 11th – Academy 2, Dublin
December 12th – Oh Yeah Centre, Belfast
Tickets are available now at ticketmaster.ie
Listen on Deezer for the secret track Milk