The 1975 announced months ago they were coming out with a new album, titled “I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It,” three years after their debut album came out. I immediately preordered the CD.

It came in the mail yesterday, and I must admit, I had some pretty lofty expectations before removing the cardboard and plastic casings. The band’s first, self-titled album is something I still listen to regularly, beginning to end – it’s certainly toward the top of my list of favorite albums.

This album is styled so differently from the band’s preceding work, but it deals with the same typical themes of love, money, drugs and sex that we saw in their self-titled work. This time around, though, they completely transformed their sound into very retro pop resembling that of the 80’s. True to The 1975 form, they threw in a couple instrumental songs with their mix of fast and slow-paced songs. The whole album – even with the slow songs – makes me want to throw on legwarmers and a leotard and dance around.

The 17 tracks amount to around 80 minutes, making it a rather long album, so I’m going to pick a few of the essential songs to listen to if you want to get a holistic grasp of The 1975’s newest music.

Track 1: The 1975 – With the same title and lyrics as the first song of their preceding album, the band seems to be paying homage to their first album while kissing their old style away. The 10 lines of this song are shouted by a chorus of enthusiastic singers who open listeners up to the band’s new style.

Track 4: A Change of Heart – This is by far my favorite song on the album. Its buzzing, retro beat puts me right there with the turmoil Matt Healy creates by leaving a girl behind for a new one. His indifference is carried by the sweet, synthetic background, and I just can’t stop listening to it.

Track 10: Somebody Else – This song was released as a single two weeks ago, and it left me even closer to the edge of my seat waiting for the release of the entire album. It deals with The 1975’s classic ambivalence as the band tells the story of seeing an ex with somebody else and convincing themselves they don’t care. It’s got a sad message, but it’s still very upbeat and easy to move to.

Track 11: Loving Someone – When I first heard this song, I felt like I needed to make sure my I was still listening to The 1975, because the sound was just so different from their past work. It almost seems a little 21 Pilots-inspired with the “sing-speaking” we get from Healy. This song is still growing on me, but it’s so unique it’s noteworthy.

Track 12: I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware of It – Any time an album is named off a track, you know it’s going to be important. Majorly instrumental, this six minute song put me through the same roller coaster the whole album did. It lapses from serene to upbeat to somewhat sad and back through it all over again.

Those are the highlights of the album, but if you have 80 minutes to listen to the album in its entirety with some good speakers, I highly recommend you do so. The whole thing is an experience, and I know I’ll have it on repeat until they come out with their next record.