Louis Browne & Jack Glasscock spoke to Matt Healy of rising indie-pop sensations The 1975 before their sellout Cardiff show.
(Photos: Louis Browne)

Hey! Has the tour been cool so far? DidnÔÇÖt you smash up a guitar last night?
[Laughs] No, that was an accident! It was AdamÔÇÖs guitar and he put it down with slightly too much vigour and itÔÇÖs a hollow-body so it just snapped in half.

YouÔÇÖve been to some mad places recently.┬á It must be surreal going to places you may never have been before and getting crazy receptions.┬á Where have you received the most surprising reaction?
Hong Kong IÔÇÖd say for that, probably.┬á It was like all the surreal elements of last year, by the end, kind of became our reality.┬á So we went from genuinely being in awe, to kind of being like: ÔÇ£oh yeah of course thatÔÇÖs happening, of course weÔÇÖre doing this fucking ridiculous thingÔÇØ, it became a bit of a joke.┬á So we turned up in Hong Kong, it was this mad-dash trip to get there from the other side of the world. It was crazy, and we were all just kind of focused on the logistics of the situation.┬á Then when we got there we were on after Nile Rodgers and Chic on the main stage, second to top.┬á When I got there I was thinking ÔÇ£fucking hell, that canÔÇÖt be rightÔÇØ.┬á But we played to a full crowd who knew every word; it was amazing.

What was it like going on after them? There must have been some huge pressure to follow their set?
Well yeah, when heÔÇÖs playing like every hit from the 70s! YouÔÇÖve got to remember heÔÇÖs written like every single song, so he was playing everything from ÔÇÿCelebrateÔÇÖ to ÔÇÿGet Down On ItÔÇÖ. WeÔÇÖre thinking like, weÔÇÖre following this – the best wedding band ever, but yeah it went down fine, it was cool.

IÔÇÖve heard you talk about how the band is a ÔÇÿpersonal endeavourÔÇÖ for you guys. Is that why you have kept yourselves relatively detached from social media and limit what you give away about yourselves? Do you think that would almost juxtapose the intimacy of your music?
To a certain extent, yeah. I think the idea of that juxtaposition runs through everything we do: from the music being particularly colourful, and the visuals obviously all being in black and white, I think itÔÇÖs kind of very, very honest. ItÔÇÖs uncompromising in its narrative, but then slightly detached from reality in the way itÔÇÖs presented and the way that itÔÇÖs consumed. Yeah, itÔÇÖs all about a duality of ideas, but thatÔÇÖs not been a contrived marketing scheme or mind-set, itÔÇÖs just an extension of the way I am. I did a big piece in the culture magazine for the Sunday Times the other week, and spoke for hours and it was actually like a kind of therapy session. We kind of figured out thatÔÇÖs the way IÔÇÖve always lived my life, you know, like I donÔÇÖt sit on the fence very well and IÔÇÖm not very good in the middle; I like an extreme polarity to everything.

 Talking about that extreme, your album is clearly a soundtrack to your formative years. Did you find solace in writing about these extremes: sex, girls, drugs etc?
Oh yeah of course. Well this is the thing, itÔÇÖs funny now because as a band and as me, weÔÇÖve been defined as being really honest and kind of wearing our hearts on our sleeve to an extent, but that would be true if IÔÇÖd written that album when people knew who we were. But they didnÔÇÖt, so I wasnÔÇÖt questioned with anything like that. I wasnÔÇÖt questioned with ÔÇÿam I being too honest?ÔÇÖ – it could be a genuine form of expression, without the fear of kind of a reaction. Slightly different now, but yeah, for this first album, thatÔÇÖs the way it was. And then people embraced the band and embraced the album, and then thought ÔÇÿoh heÔÇÖs so honestÔÇÖ, but actually all of that honesty came from a place of real insecurity and neurosis. ItÔÇÖs interesting, but yeah of course it is, itÔÇÖs the only thing I do. Music drives me insane, the incessant presence of music in my life. It informs how I see the world; it drives me crazy.

Is it something you worry about, going into the second album, having more time constraints, more pressure, and more expectation?  Do you this the change would a bad thing?
Well yeah, of course.┬á Your identity becomes totally conflicted when this kind of thing happens to you. Especially such a stratospheric rise like weÔÇÖve had; like a dramatic, quick rise. So yeah, you think about all of those kinds of things.┬á You think: ÔÇÿfuck, am I still going to be able to write a song?ÔÇÖ
But, what I realised the other day, we were in Australia writing a song and I was like ÔÇÿour job is a job nowÔÇÖ – never treat it like or call it a ÔÇÿjobÔÇÖ, but technically it is – but that means our job is writing a soundtrack to how cool our life is, you know.┬á I think if you look at it like that, everything else doesnÔÇÖt really matter anymore.┬á I donÔÇÖt really care.┬á I cared so much about reviews and critical acclaim and all this sort of thing and now IÔÇÖve realised that it doesnÔÇÖt matter.

┬áItÔÇÖs true that a lot of people will just assume youÔÇÖve shot to fame from nowhere, when in reality youÔÇÖve been together for 10 years. Is there anything about the speed in which youÔÇÖve had success that you regret? Do you almost wish certain elements of it had gone slower?
No I donÔÇÖt resent anything, you know. What people have got to remember when bands are on the rise, and when artistic movements happen ÔÇô IÔÇÖm not saying weÔÇÖre creating a movement ÔÇô but maybe weÔÇÖre at a time thatÔÇÖll be remembered in ten yearsÔÇÖ time. Nobody knows what we are yet; I donÔÇÖt know what this is; I donÔÇÖt know how it shouldÔÇÖve happened or anything. Like, all the reviews, they donÔÇÖt know what it is. WeÔÇÖve got to give it ten years to see what it actually was. So I donÔÇÖt resent anything about it, IÔÇÖm just enjoying making music.

So definition isnÔÇÖt something you particularly worry about?┬á A lot of people refer to you as a ÔÇÿpopÔÇÖ band, whereas other people refer to you as anything but a ÔÇÿpopÔÇÖ band.┬á What do you think about genre?┬á Do you feel you donÔÇÖt want to be pigeon-holed, or do you feel itÔÇÖs something that comes with time?
I donÔÇÖt care.┬á I really donÔÇÖt.┬á Not that I donÔÇÖt care about the question, itÔÇÖs just simply not in my innate person to think like that.┬á ItÔÇÖs difficult with things like that because – IÔÇÖve said this a million times before – but we create in the same way that we consume.┬á WeÔÇÖre part of a generation that grew up with, I suppose you could say the internet, but what I mean is various different sources to consume all types of media, not consuming anything in a linear format; that kind of indifference and that lack of caring.┬á Now teenagers, kids of our generation, theyÔÇÖre not interested in tribalist attitudes towards anything.┬á Having a stoic adherence to one musical genre isnÔÇÖt really part of the way kids do things nowadays.┬á WeÔÇÖre a band that are very, very representative of that and itÔÇÖs kind of ironic because we came out and there was a certain amount of unexpectancy because thereÔÇÖs a massive polarity in our sound.┬á Each song sounds slightly different.┬á But now that unexpectancy has become expected.┬á So itÔÇÖs odd; now everyone expects each song to sound different from the last.

I heard the song that you ended the Zane Lowe ÔÇÿversusÔÇÖ show the other day with. I think it was a remix that George produced and you sang on, and there was some rap elements to it as well. You talk about the polarity and multiplicity of your music, so is there any part of you that would want to surprise your fans and drop something completely different like that towards the end of the album?
MaybeÔǪ I mean it doesnÔÇÖt really matter. I think what people are coming to learn as well is, people are scared of pop music. TheyÔÇÖre scared of pop music and everything that comes along with it: the personalities; the agenda; the reason; the money. TheyÔÇÖre getting freaked out by the idea of ÔÇÿpopÔÇÖ. The things that weÔÇÖve been criticised for, like being ÔÇÿtoo shinyÔÇÖ, and having all these ÔÇÿproduction techniquesÔÇÖ ÔÇô people assume they come from being like, commercially-minded, but the reason our band is so slick is because we made it like that. We produce all of our records. We know exactly what weÔÇÖre fucking doing. All reviews, all these kinds of things, they think theyÔÇÖve got it all down. Maybe they have with a lot of bands, but with us, no one knows our band and our bandÔÇÖs potential andÔǪ I suppose, our bandÔÇÖs potential for downfall.
So to answer your question, yeah we were a band for years, and then by the end of that time we sort of became producers. ThatÔÇÖs what we did ÔÇô like making house music. And then we did ÔÇÿThe 1975ÔÇÖ. We went back to a band and produced it. And now, weÔÇÖre going back to being more production-ey. Like, we did a remix for James Vincent McMorrow recently, and all those EPs we did in my bedroom, like ÔÇÿSexÔÇÖ and stuff.

Was it difficult then to protect the nuances of your sound while recording the ÔÇÿIVÔÇÖ EP in a full studio and therefore a totally new creative environment?
No, if youÔÇÖve got a skeleton of something, you take the demo and if youÔÇÖve got Logic and ProTools running in the studio, itÔÇÖs like Disneyland. You just turn it up and re-amp it all. We did a lot of re-amping and stuff like that. All of our pad sounds we put through vintage guitar amps in rooms, and then used the room to create a live version of something synthetic that we created at home. So you keep the organic element of the sound, but recapture it properly. ┬á

Some bands try to maintain a ÔÇÿpunkÔÇÖ ethic, but you remain open minded about going and accomplishing everything you can. So all the opportunity was something you relished rather than resented?
Of course.┬á IÔÇÖm making records for me; letÔÇÖs not forget that.┬á IÔÇÖm not a selfish person.┬á But, the reason that I make music is because itÔÇÖs a formula, the idea of music, not because of the things that come around it – the cultural relevance et cetera. I donÔÇÖt really care.┬á ItÔÇÖs about music and how IÔÇÖm affected by it, the same way you would be food or sex or drugs.┬á ItÔÇÖs immediacy, the immediacy of emotion behind it.┬á So, yeah, I canÔÇÖt really remember what your question was.

Obviously, a lot of your music so far has been shaped by your formative years and your lyrics seem to thrive off your experience. So, if you went back to your 16 or 17-year-old self, and there was this band called ÔÇÿThe 1975ÔÇÖ about, would you listen to them? Do you think you could connect with them?
Id be Ahh its such a difficult question. Id die! Itd be my favourite band ever. Of course I would. We are my favourite band. I mean, you have to be. Like, you cant not be and if anyone says theyre not  like isnt everyone bored of people who dont want to be in their bands and they just slag their bands off and stuff? Its hilarious when Noel Gallagher does it. I love that he hates so much about Oasis.
IÔÇÖm not there yet, you know. The music is about a pursuit of joy, not a pursuit of ego. You can only be truly joyful if youÔÇÖre putting yourself into it 100%, and putting myself into making a record is me at my most, I suppose, safe, because IÔÇÖll look for it everywhere else.