The 1975 - The 1975

The 1975 come as something of an anachronism. But then, in British charts in 2013, anything can happen - such as Avenged Sevenfold grabbing a #1 album, or Ben Howard winning 2 BRIT awards in spite of barely being alive. In a year dominated by invigorating new dance music, 7 of the albums big enough to debut at number 1 vary genres greatly. There's the standard X Factor piffle Jahmene Douglas, the standard Britain's Got Talent "let's pretend we listen to opera" waffle Richard & Adam, two frighteningly dull records from Bastille and Tom Odell, and two excellent dance records from Rudimental and Disclosure. And then this.

So... the 1975. This group of four relatively attractive Chelshire men - and the frontman of which happens to be Denise Welch's son, my condolences - have been bubbling under the surface for about 5 years now with various bandnames (Bigsleep, Drive Like I Do) and settled upon this one at random. As far as hype-trains go you cannot get bigger than supporting Muse and the Rolling Stones the year before your debut album's out. After a couple of EPs, they now face a mountain of a challenge: the LP.

Starting with a title track (and a rare opportunity to have the title, artist and album as all the same thing) of breathy, M83-inspired static and drawed-out vocals, it's immediately clear that they've moved on stylistically from the much more emo-sounding previous incarnations. In 'The City' they're backed by a rich, burning synth-hook and it's a nice effect. That sound unfortunately only gets wobblier in their attempt to perfect the jerky, hopelessly annoying riffs of current British indie-pop. They basically imitate Two Door Cinema Club on hit single 'Chocolate' and 'M.O.N.E.Y.', on the surface pleasant and rare glimpses of Healy's comprehensible side, but after just the four listens, grating. Another single, 'Sex', was touted by various music sites as 'anthemic' but in all honesty I struggle to see that. It sounds like any of many noughties vaguely catchy, post-Fall Out Boy going mainstream singles.

The sugariness returns on 'Talk!', one hook repeated and grinded into the ground, and it takes another of those brief, synthesized intros ('An Encounter') to reintroduce something that's at least listenable: 'Heart Out', if anything, is incredibly catchy. 'Settle Down', too, although essentially the same framework as 4 or 5 of the tracks that lead up to it, makes a couple of nice gestures. The problem is that many of their strengths are also the stand-alone strengths of 1980s schmaltz-fests such as Spandau Ballet and Deacon Blue: inoffensive, vaguely romantic pop-rock. 'Robbers' is a reconstruction of the old Bonnie and Clyde love story, whilst 'Girls' finds Healy fighting off teenagers ("I know you're looking for salvation in the secular age, but girl I'm not your saviour") to what sounds like a Bananarama tune.

The final segue '12' paves the way for another four tracks of the exact same formula.

I suppose it was inevitable that one of 2013's hottest new prospects in British music had to go and turn out to be a bit shit. I read one comment somewhere that wrote them off as another Scouting for Girls. I thought it a bit rude at time (because they are the worst thing to ever happen to music) but... they're not far off the mark. Also, less of the 16 tracks nonsense in future please.

Rating: 3/10
Highlights: Heart Out; The City; Settle Down
Avoid: Talk!; M.O.N.E.Y.

Artwork Watch: My blog is in danger of becoming a little too monochrome. 
For fans of: Friendly Fires; people who find Two Door Cinema Club too exciting; Phoenix tribute acts
Up next: Franz Ferdinand