The 1975

The 1975 are an English pop/rock band that pride themselves on being a little edgy and a little dark. Their all black clothes, edgy hair and musical focus on sex and drugs have earned them this right. I've been listening to them a little over a year and their music is, in a word, cool. Their songs range from catchy to haunting (in a good way). They've only released one album, but since I heard it,  I've been looking forward to their follow up. I knew they were quickly on their way to becoming one of my favorite bands.

That's why I got a little worried, along with the rest of their fans, when they disappeared from social media on June 1st. When I say disappeared, I mean the band deactivated all of their social media accounts along with their personal social media accounts. They essentially didn't exist for 24 hours. This came right after the band posted a cryptic comic strip (pictured below) signaling a new era for their music. Many fans speculated they were just revamping, but there's always that voice inside of you saying, "What if this is the end?"

This is why I wanted to talk about the 1975. Yes, I LOVE their music, but more importantly I love this marketing move. The music world is ruled by social media and the Internet these days. We go to our computers and phones to listen, find and interact with music. When the 1975 deactivated from social media, they ceased to exist.

This sent the fans into a tailspin. Speculation and anticipation ran wild. People were talking about the 1975 like never before. After 24 hours, all of their accounts reactivated and they released a new comic strip and a new aesthetic: pink.

The 1975 are back and hopefully better than ever! They announced a new tour and a new album with their new look. It seemed like they just didn't want to be tied to this one dimensional image they had established. They wanted to show fans and the world that they are ever-evolving. It's very exciting and I can't wait to see what their new tour, and more importantly their new album sounds like!

One of the reasons I enjoyed this so much is because this is what I would love to do as a career. I would love to do marketing for a record label or a band. To mix my passion for music with my talent for marketing. However, you can tell that what they did was organic, it wasn't some idea thought of by the record label or a marketing team. Perhaps they suggested the 24 hour disappearance, but the re-branding was all the 1975. This is still the type of thing I want to do though, get fans excited about the band and their music, or event introduce new fans to their sound!

Yes I love the 1975, but I love what they did on June 1st 2015 even more. I hope they announce some US tour dates, right now they're just touring in the UK. I'm super excited to hear their sophomore album and to see where the future takes them. They have so much potential and a fan base that adores them. Pink is the new black.

What other bands that you listen to have done this type of re-branding? I'd love to hear from you!

xx Kristen

Sex - The 1975
Girls - The 1975
Chocolate - The 1975
The City - The 1975
Robbers - The 1975