“Somebody Else” by The 1975, Friday, May 5, 2023

 

I'm pretty musically stubborn. Whenever somebody says that they found the next big band, I'm pretty shy to come around to that act. In the case of The 1975, I'm ten years late from when their self-titled debut and the hit song "Chocolate" hit the lower reaches of the Hot 100 and the middle reaches of the Alternative charts--in America. In the band's home of the UK and in Europe, they fared even better as the concept of a band still sells records.

I DON'T WANT YOUR BODY. I first heard the song "Chocolate" on Punk Goes Pop Vol. 6 performed by Knuckle Puck. I didn't know that the song was a hit by The 1975; I liked it but never looked it up out of laziness. Then in my podcast listening and research for my blog, I started hearing how much Aaron Gillespie loved The 1975. This recommendation didn't actually turn me on to them. I assumed that the band was another art rock band like The War on Drugs, which I got into somewhat reluctantly because who has time for six-minute songs that aren't Pink Floyd? I love The War on Drugs by the way and The Amazing, a Swedish jam band that sounds similar to The War on Drugs, but Sigur Riós or Tame Impala or The National? It will happen someday, but I'm holding off on those bands. But thanks to Spotify and Apple Music's algorithms, I found out that The 1975 doesn't particularly sound like music produced in 1975, nor does it sound jam-bandy. Now, I have to do a deeper dive into the band's discography, but it seems that they should be called The 1985, at least with the groove of today's song, "Somebody Else." In a similar way to The War on Drugs, The 1975 make time stand still with their 5:47 track, not using much variation in chords. The synths add a kind of New Age effect, with flutes adding a haunting dimension to this song about a break up.

I CAN'T GIVE YOU MY SOUL BECAUSE WE'RE NEVER ALONE. I have a hunch that The 1975's streaming numbers are about to grow, not because of a new album or single, but because of a major story that broke yesterday that Taylor Swift and The 1975's lead singer Matty Healy have been rumored to have started dating. Swift and Healy dated briefly in 2013. This rumor has polarized Swifties, those opposed to the relationship pointing out Healy's issues with substance abuse, past relationships, and problematic comments in the past. Healy's list of controversies are extensive, though he doesn't seem to take himself very seriously. Matty's lyrics in The 1975's music seem to be rife with the demons of addiction--substances and sexual. "Somebody Else" is a song about the conflicted nature of breaking up with someone. You don't want to be with that person, but you don't want to see that person moving on. You hold yourself in a pattern. You want to move on, but you're hung up on your ex. Let's keep an eye on the latest from The 1975. Is this new attention going to make or break the band? Is The 1975 going to be my next band or will I find somebody else?

Read “Somebody Else” by The 1975 on Genius.