i just had a change of heart: the 1975's new beginning

who says falling in love for the first time can only happen between two people? the moment when music and listener connect, that moment when infatuation becomes obsession, is just as beautiful. hearing those unreleased songs for the first time, slowly becoming so accustomed to the live renditions that hearing the polished studio versions is almost odd. 

it's those connections that make me feel alive, that feeling when you find a new song, all the memories, thoughts and emotions that will soon become attached to and associated with it, good or bad. because that's what music does; it gets us through everything, pulling us out of a slump when it feels like things are going wrong, lifting us up again and reminding us of what else is out there. 

back at home for christmas, time is dragging by slowly. exhausted after the time spent with family, conversations washing over me, i find that music is, as always, my escape. 

it was then, seeking refuge in my room, eyes gradually closing, a wave of tiredness washing over me, that i found it. a connection was made. a light went on. that familiar fire started blazing in my chest. as grimes once said, the fire hurts so right.

as we wait for the 1975's new album, 'i like it when you sleep for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it', to be released, i have had to tide myself over by watching the videos for their latest singles, love me, and ugh! on repeat (mainly just to admire matt healy). 

while doing so, i stumbled across some videos in the "up next" section of youtube, which featured unreleased tracks performed by the 1975 on their most recent tour. naturally, i clicked on them and was mesmerised by what i heard. i usually try and steer clear of these kinds of videos as the sound quality is pretty terrible and it can be hard to make out any of the words being sung over the screaming of the audience. 

but these videos, however, were an exception. whoever uploaded them did a great job at remastering the sound and creating the most beautiful lyric videos to go along with the music. so much so, that for i second i thought they were official releases on the band's youtube channel. 

the songs, titled she's american, the sound, change of heart, and somebody else, are typical of what we have come to expect from the 1975's new sound; retaining the heart-wrenching, emotional lyrical themes of their first, self-titled, release but layering them over jangly guitars that lift the songs and take them to a whole new level. 

i don't want your body but i'm picturing your body with somebody else, healy sings in somebody else. letting go is hard, but with their new sound and a seemingly new outlook on life, the 1975 are slowly getting there. there's a lightness, a hopeful optimism that shines through these tracks, which is just what we all need upon entering into a new year. sure, it's the same old cliché we hear year after year, new year, new me, but i truly believe that 2016 could be my year. and if this album is my soundtrack then things can only get better from here.