
After an incredible few years of hit singles, a No.1 debut album, and multiple sold out tour dates, The 1975 broke the mould this week when they dropped off the radar, leaving thousands of fans on the edge of their seats. The band’s official social media, as well as their personal accounts were all deleted shortly after a cryptic comic strip appeared across the board hinting at a possible change of direction for the band – sparking panic and planting the seed of doubt as to whether or not the band would return at all…but, of course they did.
Earlier this week the band came back online with their new ‘pink’ image (a vast change from their usual black and white aesthetic) with an announcement of an intimate tour at the end of this year; this news came in the form of a letter typed by frontman Matt (Matty) Healy himself, detailing the band’s desire for change during the recording of their second studio album stating “it’s creation signifies the end of the most inspiring and challenging times that we’ve ever shared as friends and as artists”. This personal letter feels incredibly genuine and raw, with spelling mistakes and strikethroughs it’s a slice of the band we have come to know and love; whose lyrics struck a chord so deep that audiences flocked to see them just as quickly as they did to buy their debut album.
With no hint as to when we can expect the second album the band are keeping their cards close to their chest, only explaining that “[the] new record signifies the start of a new world for us, a more colourful world, a less colourful world.” Most people would expect this to be the ramblings of a mad man, but after experiencing the lyrical genius of Matty we have come to feel confident and indulge in the inner workings of his mind, finding a purity in it that we do not often get in contemporary popular music.
At Reading Festival last year I remember being in such an impossibly big crowd waiting for them that I still have no idea how we were so close to the front. As they stepped out clutching bottles of red wine, hair a mess, wearing black on black, the excitement of the crowd reached fever pitch. As if they needed an introduction, grabbing the microphone “we are The 1975” before breaking out into ‘The City’. Theirs is the story of a band who shot to unimaginable fame and yet still hold onto a piece of their privacy. Letting us into their world through catchy songs and killer riffs – each song telling a story that feels personal, yet is unexplainably relatable to your own. I’m one of thousands of fans who are so excited to see what they have up their sleeve, I just hope it’s worth the wait.
The 1975 November tour tickets are on sale now.