Song Stories: The 1975: I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)

With their third album 'A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships' The 1975 embraced a whole host of musical styles bubblegum pop on 'TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME’ 80s power pop on the heroin influenced banger 'It's Not Living (If It's Not With You)', 'Mine' has touches of George Michael, and 'Love It If We Made It' is one of the bands most profound and punk like statements, with nods to Fleetwood Mac and Michael Jackson. 

The whole album is a collection of varied influences that was created to sum up the bands place in the post modern world, and do their best to address the state of millennial life and humans connection and often dependency on technology. In the most confusing time in human history.

'I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes) is the albums final track, and is one of the bands most emotive. It's a real personal and intense song, that does not see Healy hide behind metaphors and quick wit. It instead sees him address something rather bleak in the most human way. It's the most candid Healy has ever been and the listener is invited to take stock and listen.

The whole songs makes the listener asks questions, it's full of contradictions  its very title, 'I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)' does not quite make sense at face value. However, after listening to it, you can understand what is being said. It sees the band wrestle with themes of mental health, hopelessness and the search for meaning and belief in the modern world.

I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)’ is sonically reminiscent of 90s Britpop ballads, with soaring orchestration and anthemic production akin to Oasis or The Verve. Some critics have compared the song with 'Champagne Supernova' and 'Bittersweet Symphony'. Ye Speaking to Sam Sodomsky of Pitchfork, Healy confirmed this by saying he strove to develop 'I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)' as a midway point between the darkness of both the Verve's 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' (1997) and the music of Oasis, while retaining the lyrics and vocals characteristic of Manchester.

Many listeners have also drawn comparisons between this track and Radiohead’s 'No Surprises', another song that uses gentle, almost lullaby-like instrumentation to contrast its bleak lyrical themes. 

The song’s cinematic scope creates a grandiose yet deeply personal atmosphere, mirroring the weight of its lyrical content. Matty Healy has never shied away from discussing mental health in his songwriting, but ‘I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)’ might be one of his most unfiltered admissions. The title itself reflects the duality of suicidal ideation, the “sometimes” acknowledging that these feelings are transient rather than permanent. The lyrics, filled with stark imagery of loneliness and hopelessness, resonate with anyone who has battled similar thoughts:

“If you can't survive; just try”
These words, simple yet profound, don’t offer a grand solution to suffering but instead validate the experience of struggle. Rather than romanticizing pain, the song acknowledges its presence while suggesting endurance as an option—no matter how impossible it may seem.

I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)’ serves as a powerful closer to an album that explores modern relationships, addiction, self-destruction, and the digital age. Throughout A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, The 1975 navigates the complexities of life in a hyperconnected world, and this track feels like a culmination of all those themes. Reflecting on isolation, but with a slight glimmer of hope in the acceptance of life’s ebbs and flows.

Part of what makes the song so impactful is its universal relatability. Mental health struggles are a reality for many, and this track articulates emotions that can be difficult to put into words. It doesn’t offer a resolution, nor does it sugarcoat despair. It simply exists as an acknowledgment of pain, a reassurance that feeling lost is part of the human experience.

The song has become a main stay within the bands setlist since it's release being played on both the 'At Their Very Best' and 'Still At Their Very Best tours. In 2022 the NME ranked the song as the 14th best 1975 song. 

If push comes to shove, it's my favourite song by the band. This is the most human thing that they have ever done, and it does it's best to sum up the thoughts and feelings of those struggling. Words like masterpiece get thrown about often but this song falls into that category. A hauntingly beautiful end to a brilliant album. 

Thank you for reading 

Jack