10 Best The 1975 Songs Ranked
5. Sincerity Is Scary
Frontman Matty Healy has been accused of taking an arch, knowing, self-referential approach to his songwriting. Certainly, he seems here to intentionally blur the lines with regard to who is actually speaking in his songs - is it him, or is it a third-party, a narrator, a construct?
Healy addresses this on Sincerity is Scary, in a characteristically side-on way, tackling the difficulties inherent in being sincere with another person.
The song speaks to the overall difficulty of a world in love with irony and sarcasm, a world in which the overwhelming majority of conversation is done online, fitting into the overall theme and mission statement of A Brief Enquiry Into Online Relationships. Musically, the track is reminiscent of The Roots, and has been compared to A Tribe Called Quest, too, with embellishments courtesy of choir vocals and a bass section. It is upbeat and bouncy, with a chorus made to sing along to.
Standout Lyric:
Why can't we be friends when we are lovers?/'Cause it always ends with us hating each other/ Instead of calling me out, you should be pulling me/ in I've just got one more thing to say/ And why would you believe you could control how you're perceived/ When at your best, you're intermediately versed in your own feelings?