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Mancunican four piece The 1975 were thrust into the limelight earlier this year when breakout single ‘Chocolate‘ hit the top 20 in the UK.
The band met in high school, formed in 2002 and began playing music as a unit, they performed under a large array of names before settling on The 1975. They released their first of four critically acclaimed EP’s last August and The City was championed by BBC Introducing.
I felt an introduction was appropriate to showcase the band’s growth and development within their momentous year; it’s slightly painful that when you mention the band’s name, the general reaction is “oh them lot that did that song ‘chocolate'”. For example in late 2012, the band released their second EP Sex, where the title track was one of the most refreshing synth pop songs to come out of the UK in a very long time, with brutally honest lyrics and an unusual vocal that made the whole EP seem totally relatable on a personal level.
Then came the hit single, a breezy pop track with a killer melody and anthemic chorus. Propelling the band from up and coming act to radio regulars. The power of ‘Chocolate’ was demonstrated at this year’s Sound City festival when the band were booked ahead of their first EP release to play a small club room. After the release of the killer single, crowds were queuing around the streets to try and pack out the tiny Zanzibar and catch of a glimpse of this exciting new band.
Since then, they have embarked on their own sell out headline tour and supported Muse at the Emirates stadium, a crash course in the live circuit. They performed killer shows at Glastonbury and T in the Park, taking a melange of tracks from all four of their EPs so to leave an air of mystery and anticipation around the debut LP which lands in September.
It has been a long time since a band has merged haunting instrumental and vocal with pop melodies in such a succinct and fluid manner. The xx have this ability on tracks such as ‘chained’ where they achieve that retro, 80s vibe in the simplicity of a key change. The 1975 have been working and honing their skills in writing and production and I believe their debut LP is set to be one of the records of the year.
