What could be better than chocolate?
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[6.40]
Scott Mildenhall: Rock is back! And courtesy of someone whose mum is Denise Welch, though don’t mention that bit. The lyrics written are open to interpretation — handy, because sung they’re not exactly open to intelligibility — but most of that is down to clumsy pronoun flipping. The real story (morning glory) is probably disappointingly basic. With the unusual framing amid an admittedly pleasant cacophony it’s clear The 1975 are going for something interesting, but they haven’t quite pulled it off.
[5]
Jer Fairall: One of the great comforts of pop is that whenever it threatens to become too alienating, there is usually a cadre of sullen and (not always, but often) British youths on reserve to bring it back down to a level that the non-lotharios among us can connect with. Hence, “Sex” offers what may as well be a corrective to “Blurred Lines” with essentially the same text done up in guy-liner and passive-aggressive sneers. It might be worth arguing that, for all of the supposed misogyny of Thicke’s song, his subject is allowed more dimensions than the object of this moper’s affection, even if they are only the qualities that Thicke projects on to her, but “Sex” comes, one assumes, from a narrator still young enough that “we might as well just fuck” represents the limits of his articulation. Fortunately, for him, he’s got an irresistible blur of surging guitars behind him, and the good sense to turn his withering scorn into one hell of an anthemic refrain.
[8]
Jonathan Bradley: I haven’t heard anyone this determined to make blue balls sound heroic since Brandon Flowers dubbed himself Mr. Brightside. “We might as well just fuck,” Matt Healy whines, desperately failing to sound careless while he snipes about the Other Man’s looks and his band gears up the swoon to Killers levels. “She’s got a boyfriend, anyway,” he sings, adding detail as he works himself into a masturbatory frenzy: “You’ve got skinny jeans, anyway”; “You’ve got your tongue pierced, anyway.” He’s got an anthem, anyway.
[8]
Katherine St Asaph: Maybe you’d get laid if you enunciated more. Or, like, at all. Or matured past age 13, the last age where calling this limp bunch of sour grapes “Sex” would be clever. Fuck, even Kings of Leon got away with it.
[4]
Patrick St. Michel: Everything about this sounds like it should be ready-made stadium status, especially in a world where Kings Of Leon can turn simplistic songs about doing it into smash hits. Yet beyond those guitar wails — which are fantastic, but don’t really need to be described any further — this is probably the weirdest song you’ll hear blaring from the main stage at your preferred festival in 2014. The words, for one, are not particularly grand, even for a fuck jam. Usually, relationships (and intercourse) are treated like lyrical supernovas. Matthew Healy sounds really detached, the titular subject coming off more like an obstacle blocking off something bigger (“if we’re gonna do anything we might as well just fuck”). One of the parts best suited for shouting gets cut off by a yelped “but you say no.” They only sing that, which sounds like the hook, once. All of this, though, makes “Sex” far more interesting than your typical all-over-the-radio single.
[9]
David Turner: Gonna make a confession. I really really do try my best to ignore the words of most rock songs. Maybe I’ll want to hear the words of a guy in front of a guitar band one day, but that hasn’t been the case for a couple of years. So sorry, UK Rockers The 1975, I liked this better when you guys sung in French accents and had more precise guitars. Was the last Phoenix album good anyone? Does Urban Outfitters have a co-writing credit here?
[6]
Daniel Montesinos-Donaghy: “Sex” sounds just like a Drive Thru-era pop punk band’s music, albeit with the parts reassembled (first chorus appears halfway through the song?) and shot through an atmospheric-looking Instagram filter. Imagine a horndog version of the Starting Line with squealing vocals ahoy and make your decision from there — personally, I’m going to pass but your mileage may vary.
[5]
Alfred Soto: Lots of people I know are crazy about them, and when the lead singer yelps “She’s got a boyfriend anyway” over Big Country guitar peals I can believe the hype.
[6]
Edward Okulicz: I’ve heard these guys compared to Placebo, though the initial guitar squall reminds me more of Seafood’s “Western Battle” and the vocals are more choked than sneered à la molko. That said, “Sex” is a very good single on its own merits — all propulsion, ringing guitar hooks, and uselessness wrought into angular anthemics through sheer force of will. And I’m starting to get used to the dude’s voice, so my devotion surely awaits once I’ve lived with the album for a few more weeks.
[8]
Brad Shoup: At least it’s more direct than “Sweater Weather.” Yawping pop-punk approximate, introed with a phrase lifted from LCD Soundsystem.
[5]