The chicken scratch guitars on “Love Me” is such a pitch perfectly sarcastic way of translating the songs message against superficiality that if you’re not paying attention you’ll get lost in their hypnotic, off-kilter rhythm. I Like It When You Sleep kicks off with “Love Me” and “UGH!” - two tracks that approach wildly different topics (internet-fueled egocentrism and Healy’s cocaine addiction, respectively) with the same infectious, funk-infused energy. It’s an impressive step forward from their synth-soaked self-titled debut, experimenting both with instrumentation and subject matter in new and exciting ways. Sametime’s new single ‘Bitter Taste’ is out today.It’s lengthy, equal parts earnest and awkward, and pretty different from anything you would expect. It’s a deep love we have for this band because without them we would still be buskers playing covers and average folk songs. They became our band’s first inspiration in terms of what we wanted to be. The 1975 were the first band that my brother and I both loved. They made me broaden the music I listened to, expanding my sound pallet and my understanding of pop music. I love the way they use bright, vibrant sounds to contrast their sour lyricism. The 1975 made me want to get better at producing music and creating sounds. This was when I knew that I wanted to make music that people, no matter where they were or who they were with, lost control.
It was like a scene out of a movie as I turned around and watched the massive wave of flailing body parts jumping up and down. ‘The Sound’ was the last song of their set and there’s one part near the end before a big guitar solo, Matty Healy (the frontman) counts down for everyone to jump on the drop. I saw them live 4 months after my initial discovery at Splendour in the Grass and I stood still watching in awe right at the front whilst a crowd of 15,000 drugged up youth danced around me. I quickly found myself writing songs with all the same elements as The 1975 but with my own twists and turns. I became a student of theirs, watching and reading anything I could find on the internet. I wanted to know more and learn more from The 1975, so for the next couple of months I had their songs on repeat.
I instantly downloaded all of the stock Logic Pro X synth VSTs and just played chords for hours, exploring all types of synthetic sounds I had in front of me. I replayed that video over and over again, watching everyone on stage, looking at the instruments they were playing and listening to the sounds they created.
I don’t know how to explain it but I will try, it was like my ears finally connected to something. It was 2016 and I was at home watching the shows from the BBC Big Weekend over in the UK and that’s when The 1975 playing ‘The Sound’ comes on. Although I was in love with the artists that I grew up listening to, I never had a favourite band, an artist that I could listen to on repeat.
I hated the thought of using anything electronic like synths. Once I began writing music it was all in a similar vein, acoustic folk songs and big power ballads. Sam and I grew up listening to the music dad had on around the house, a lot of The Eagles, James Taylor and the Robbie Williams Live at Knebworth concert (which deserves its own love letter). Tim Aitken, SAMETIME – The 1975, I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It, (2016)