Matt Johnson's early work as The The was extremely introspective, focused on themes of isolation, loneliness, the futility of life and the human condition, and a perceived apathetic nihilism of the Britain of his times. He was likely reading and channelling Jean-Paul Sartre at this time as many of these themes are the focus of Sartre's philosophy of Existentialism. In fact, several of the verse sentences of Perfect and the entire chorus are transferred almost verbatim from various passages of Sartre's first novel "Nausea" (La Nausee') published in 1938.
Matt Johnson's early work as The The was extremely introspective, focused on themes of isolation, loneliness, the futility of life and the human condition, and a perceived apathetic nihilism of the Britain of his times. He was likely reading and channelling Jean-Paul Sartre at this time as many of these themes are the focus of Sartre's philosophy of Existentialism. In fact, several of the verse sentences of Perfect and the entire chorus are transferred almost verbatim from various passages of Sartre's first novel "Nausea" (La Nausee') published in 1938.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nausea_(novel)
[Edit: Added link to "Nausea" Jean-Paul Sartre Wikipedia entry.]