Song of the Day: The 1975, “Me,” from Music for Cars (Dirty Hit, 2013)

This was actually the very first track I picked for the debut installment of "The Halifax Collect/Aversionline Mystery Grab Bag!" towards the end of last year, but writing about Ulver a few weeks back got me thinking about this song again, so I'm revisiting it here.

About a year ago, I was watching Conan O'Brien and saw a musical performance from The 1975. I had never heard of 'em, but loved the song and totally flipped out. So, I immediately went online to buy their debut full-length, but it wasn't out yet. Months later, I finally ordered the 2xCD expanded version of the album as soon as it was released—which included the band's first four EPs as a bonus.

"Me" is the strikingly morose closer from The 1975's third EP, Music for Cars, and has become my favorite of their recordings to date. 99.9% of the time I do not latch onto "positive" lyrical themes. On the other hand, over-the-top depressing lyrics will suck me in like quicksand, and while I don't personally identify with the bulk of the lyrical content herein, it's hard not to react to a line like:

Oh, I was thinking about killing myself, don't you mind.

Holy shit.

The lyrics alone make this one of the heaviest and most emotionally intense songs I've ever encountered, but the sparse musical backdrop is equally powerful. I could totally envision this piece being the soundtrack to the most beautifully depressing short film ever.

Words can't do it justice, so hopefully you're already listening for yourself...