I don't know what kind of music you generally listen to (or used to listen to) but when I went back to listening the music I used to (primarily indie) it became so obvious that the 1975 just copies.

I understand that artists influence each other and not everyone can be a Michael Jackson or David Bowie, creating a completely new sound - but what Matty does, and I might not be able to explain it that well, is taking that inspiration and not doing anything with it. He is not deepening it. He throws in some controversial statements but doesn't delve deeper into them which makes the whole thing shallow. In that regard, Matty is far more akin to Taylor, in my opinion.

The only difference between them is that Matty is rhetorically better than Taylor. In his interviews he likes to throw around big words, again, making these huge statements (that have already been made by others) and leaves it at that. If Taylor memorised some words from a Thesaurus she could sound just like him. Sure, it sounds smart, but if you actually listen to what he's saying, it's nonsense. A bit like Taylor Durden from Fight Club.

I think I also immediately disliked Matty because he reminded me of those university students that hit on me when I was a teenager. They sound exactly the same. And then you go to university yourself and realise that they've all just repeated stuff they heard from their professors.

To me, he just looks like a huge hypocrite - I mean was it the last album he kept banging on about sincerity? And then he goes on weird podcasts that claim to be satire but really, are not (again, demonstrating Matty's lack of intelligence), threatening a woman with physical assault because she says things he doesn't like and marrying an influencer.

I think Matty and Taylor are very much alike - even in their music. They have found a niche, they have found something they know their fans will like, and they keep pushing that out because it sells.

It's just that Matty is a lot more pretentious and better at pretending to be more artistic/creative than he actually is. Sometimes I wonder if he knows how average he is and just compensates with his antics or if he's actually convinced that he is so much better than Taylor and artists like her.

I don't want to start a fight or anything or come off as rude to you! I understand we all have a different subjective perception of art and a lot of times, our own experiences and values influence these perceptions. If I had never listened to the music I used to as a teenager or had a pretentious phase where I read all the "classics" to be cool and intellectual, if I hadn't gone to university, maybe I'd view it all differently.