Matty Healey has dismissed his sarcastic, ironic side in exchange for earnestly on The 1975’s newest single. Thankfully, “Sincerity is Scary” is a stark contrast compared to what the band has been putting out recently.
Their previous single, “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME” was a messy, obnoxiously overproduced track coupled with uninteresting lyrics that were dripping in autotune. “Give Yourself A Try” struggled to make itself anything special with, guess what, more overdone autotune. “Love It If We Made It” was the only single that truly stood out to me with it’s unique instrumentation, socially-charged lyrics, and thankfully, lessen autotune.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5l6ZoVY2zQ
If it wasn’t clear enough, I really dislike the autotune that Healey’s voice has been coated in as of late. Enter their newest single. Staying true to the title, the sincere track opens with soft, brass instruments and Healey admitting, “And irony is okay, I suppose, culture is to blame / You try and mask your pain in the most postmodern way”.
The opening lines set the pace for the rest of the song; Healey admits that he puts up a funny, ironic front in order to avoid revealing his true self. In a recent interview with Zane Low, Healey explained, “Make sure you’re ironic because then you can’t be judged on being a person”.
Maybe this can serve as a reason for the band’s recent overuse of autotune and lack of authenticity. At the very least, the new track gives listeners an explanation for The 1975’s familiar use of sarcasm. Healey’s opening commentary is joined with warm voices during the chorus where they remark, “Why can’t we be friends, when we are lovers?” It’s a wholehearted moment of clarity, something that’s recently been missing from the group. While I doubt it, I hope that the rest of the upcoming album follows their newest single. While sincerity may be scary, it’s well rewarded.
Check out “A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships” on November 30, 2018.
