The 1975 accuse UK's EU referendum of stealing their aesthetic
Last summer, the 1975's socials went dormant. After giving fans the proper scare, the band's online presence reemerged with a new rosy pink aesthetic. The aesthetic carried through the campaign of their second album, the chart-topping I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It. Fast forward to summer 2016, and it appears that the UK Electoral Commission has taken a nod from the 1975's hip look to advertise their EU referendum voting guide to a younger audience. And the band don't seem to be happy about it.
Read more: Matty Healy of the 1975 addresses Taylor Swift controversy
Let's take a closer look. Leading up to the release of I Like It When You Sleep, the 1975 posted pictures of pink, neon signs in desolate places that spelled out the name of each song on the album. Here are a few examples:
Then, last week, the UK Electoral Commission released a TV advertisement for their EU referendum voting guide, rallying people to register to vote. Here's what the EU referendum neon pink signs look like:
And a comparison, the 1975 on the left and the EU referendum on the right:
And here's the complete EU referendum video:
Frontman Matty Healy took to Twitter to express his disapproval with the Electoral Commission for “stealing” his band's aesthetic. Here are some of the tweets:
'LOOK OUT KIDZ THE GOVERNMENT ARE STEALING OUR THOUGHTS!!' ����@UKParliament pic.twitter.com/Zc8lyReYrn
— matty (@Truman_Black) May 17, 2016
How do you sue the Government??
— matty (@Truman_Black) May 22, 2016
Actually @David_Cameron if you wanna make a fire mixtape that would actually be sick i know you're already feeling our vibe hmu
— matty (@Truman_Black) May 22, 2016
What people haven't realised is that this is all a publicity stunt by me and @David_Cameron to promote our song 'If I believe in EU'
— matty (@Truman_Black) May 23, 2016
I deleted my tweets through fear of getting assassinated @David_Cameron style ����������!!!!
— matty (@Truman_Black) May 23, 2016
Manager Jamie Oborne also posted his fair share of discontent toward the situation:
What the actual fuck?!?! https://t.co/uhC7jyLFNg
— Jamie Oborne (@jamieoborne) May 22, 2016
This is true and we cannot believe it so disappointed. @AcademyFilms WTF?!?! https://t.co/VvJjDwNRSs
— Jamie Oborne (@jamieoborne) May 22, 2016
According to New Statesmen, the same person that directed the Electoral Commission advertisement video also directed the 1975's “Settle Down” video. However, it seems director Nadia Marquard Otzen has used the neon sign aesthetic in her previous referendum voting guide videos. Here's one from 2014:
For those of us not up to date on current UK politics, the EU Referendum is a vote that will occur on June 23 to determine if Britain will leave or remain in the European Union. The voter registration deadline is June 7.
Despite the use of neon signage in past referendum videos, it's nearly impossible to deny the similarities between the new advertisement campaign and the 1975's current look.
What do you think? Have the Electoral Commission taken a Tumblr-ready aesthetic to reach out to a younger voting crowd? Or is the 1975 over-reacting? Leave us a comment with your thoughts.
