A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships
Album Review
Year: 2018
Artist: The 1975
Rating: Informative 4/5 | Entertaining 3/5 | Inspiring 5/5
Content warning: This article contains mentions of mental illness, suicide, and self-harm.
Image credit: Spotify/The 1975
In 2018, The 1975 released their most controversial album to date: A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships. The album comments on the effects of our ever-increasing connectedness online and its influence on issues such as mental health, suicide, and identity.
At its core, the album explores the idea that the information and connection provided by the internet have detrimental consequences to our mental health. The band’s front-man and lyrical sensationalist Matty Healy has openly discussed his personal battle with depression. Written while he was in rehabilitation for heroin addiction, the album explores issues of depression that are both personal to him and may resonate with young adults more widely. In ‘The Man Who Married a Robot’, Matty tells a story of a man who fell in love with the internet as if it were a sentient being. At the song’s conclusion, the man ends up dying alone with no true friends, despite being constantly connected online. This highlights the paradox between superficial ‘connections’ and a lack of genuine interpersonal relationships that can leave us at risk for depression.
The topic of suicide is addressed at several points in the album. Although no direct association is made between suicide and the internet, Matty opens up about his personal experience with suicidal ideation. In the final track of the album, ‘I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)’, we find Matty struggling to accept the inevitability that his life will come to an end. Although at surface level it may appear that Matty is on the verge of taking his own life, the overall message of the song is quite the opposite, with him singing towards the end: “if you can’t survive just try”. Through the clever inclusion of ‘(Sometimes)’ in the song’s title and chorus, Matty recognises there are moments when his perspective is influenced by circumstance: he does not truly want to die at all times and labels his suicidal thoughts as temporary accordingly.
“At its core, the album explores the idea that the information and connection provided by the internet have detrimental consequences to our mental health”
Throughout the album, Matty reflects on his search for his own identity, a feeling that he believes is shared by his listeners. We are constantly comparing ourselves to others. At any moment, we can go online and be bombarded with images of people who appear to be living happier, more fulfilled lives than we could ever imagine. Matty recognises this reality and the potential dangers it poses. In ‘Give Yourself a Try’ he challenges listeners to reject comparison and instead commit to living their lives according to their own convictions and values. The guitar and drum tracks in the piece are kept simple, emphasising the lyrics of the song.
A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships struck a chord with listeners globally, acquiring nearly one billion streams on Spotify since its release four years ago. The success of the album suggests the message at its core resonated with its audience: constant connection enabled by the internet is an unknown, and potentially dangerous new frontier—one that could pose risks to our wellbeing.