I adore The 1975. They’re certainly not your run of the mill boy band, and they continuously prove this. They released a music video for their song “Robbers”, and it was by no means anything I saw coming. It’s racy, explicit, and bold. They took a pretty big risk and I’d say it was worth it.
The video contains Matthew Healy and girlfriend, smoking and popping pills, even doing a line of coke. That was pretty shocking in itself. However, no matter how messy and stumbly and drunk they are, they’re an adorable couple, just a little too ‘Skins’-esque for me. I dislike how it glorifies that lifestyle and it’s not necessarily the greatest message, but hey, it’s the band’s artistic right. The video then brings in a gun, and the couple’s taken on an edgier side and, big surprise, become robbers. Unfortunately, our unlikely hero Matt gets shot, but ends up being alright. It’s all incredibly well done, well-directed, and artistically, very visually pleasing. It’s definitely their best video.
As for the song, it’s one of my favorite off their album. I love them, and was hoping they’d make a video for this tune. Matthew’s voice really gets to shine because it’s a slower song and he croons a bit and shows off just how well he can sing. “Now if you never shoot, you’ll never know and if you never eat, you’ll never grow,” he sings. The song has a bit of a Bonnie and Clyde feel, a couple rebelling together. “Now everybody’s dead and they’re driving past my old school. He’s got his gun, he’s got his suit on; she says, ‘Babe, you look so cool,'” is how it ends, heartbreaking and resonating as a story of love and tragedy. It’s pretty incredible, and along with the visual of the video, it’s enough to give you goosebumps.
Well done, 1975. Well done.
