Healy entered the studio with the band for several hours but was unsure of what to present them. One Direction-fans of the 1975's album-invited Healy to a writing session while they were in London. The singer later confirmed the veracity of the rumour during an interview with Q, revealing that he entered the studio with the boy band. Rumours of a collaboration between Healy and One Direction surfaced in 2014. "The Sound" was presented to One Direction during a writing session with Healy.
On 14 January 2016, "The Sound" was officially released as the third single from the album, which debuted in February 2016. However, the band returned 24 hours later to announce their absence was for a "new chapter" starting with the release of their second album, later revealed to be titled I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It. In June 2015, the 1975 posted cryptic cartoons and deleted their social media accounts, fueling speculation that they were disbanding. The 1975 released their eponymous debut studio album in September 2013 to commercial success and generally favourable reviews, and the band became recognized as a breakthrough act. The visual features the band performing inside of a neon-lit glass cube surrounded by strangers, while criticisms of the band are interspersed on pink screens. An accompanying music video, directed by Tim Mattia, was released on 26 February 2016. The song was later certified platinum in the United Kingdom by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). "The Sound" reached the top 50 in Ireland and Japan. Elsewhere, it peaked at number nine on the US Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs and in Scotland. Commercially, the song peaked at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the band's highest-charting release on the chart at the time. "The Sound" appeared on numerous year-end and decade-end lists, including NME, Pitchfork and Time, among others.
Specific praise was given to the production, lyrics and the 1975's embrace of pop music, drawing comparisons to M83, Daft Punk, MGMT, and Passion Pit. Upon release, the song was met with widespread acclaim from contemporary music critics, many of whom deemed it a standout from I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It. Throughout the song, Healy describes an obsession with the sound of his lover's heartbeat. Focusing on a desire for attention, sex and intellectual validation, among others, the lyrics detail a relationship struggling with deceit. It features a disco house piano, syncopated synthesisers, synthesised strings and an electric guitar solo, and incorporates aspects of new wave, funk and R&B, among others.
Healy first presented the song to One Direction, who declined, so the band decided to record it.Ī house, pop, disco and synth-pop song, "The Sound" contains a maximalist 1980s-style four on the floor production. Inspired by the pop albums of his youth, Healy sought to channel the memorable melodies from them and create an "unabashed" pop song. The song was released on 14 January 2016 by Dirty Hit and Polydor Records as the third single from the album. The London Community Gospel Choir provide the song's choir vocals. Mike Crossey handled the production alongside Daniel and Healy. It was written by George Daniel, Matthew Healy, Adam Hann and Ross MacDonald. " The Sound" is a song by English band the 1975 from their second studio album, I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It (2016). From the album I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It