The 1975 At Their Very Best
With the release of the band's latest album Being Funny In A Foreign Language, The 1975 are showing that they have created something meaningful and profound.
By: Lior Edrich
When The 1975 announced their fifth album, a sense of panic filled the air when we found out it would be their shortest album yet at 43 minutes long. I was a bit stressed when I heard the news. Everyone knows The 1975 to be the band that releases instrument heavy songs or spoken word tracks that make you ponder about life for a little too long. Since their creation, their albums have always seemed to take a turn when you least expect it. On every album, they seem to adopt a new style. This can be seen in their last project, Notes On A Conditional Form: each song was completely different.
In their most recent album released on October 14, Being Funny In A Foreign Language, they are once again trying something new. From the first listen, you can tell that the album is very technology-shy as it symbolizes a shift in the band’s life. Lead singer Matty Healy is stepping on the brakes when it comes to going all out. The shift was clear to see from the first single they released, “Part of the Band''. It’s a folk-rock song that, in Healy’s words, “... opens on a conversation, and you get what’s going on straight away.” As you delve into the lyrics, you can see that it’s quite poetic. Co-produced by Jack Antonoff, this compelling track acts as a self-reflection with Healy’s usual sarcasm and self-deprecation.
The 1975 always begins their album with their iconic self-titled track. Compared to their previous two albums, the band seems to have officially parted with the original lyrics of the song. In every album, this self-titled track is a check-in with how the band is doing. They display their maturity with the lyrics: “I’m sorry about my 20s, I was learning the ropes / I had a tendency of thinking about it after I spoke.” It is also clear to see that even though they have changed their lyrics, one thing remains the same: their sincerity.
Being Funny In A Foreign Language has so many themes other than maturity and self-reflection. Healy takes time to dedicate a whole song to the toxicity of fragile masculinity and mass shootings. The lyric, “You should have seen how they ran when I was lookin' for somebody to love. You should have seen it, man, I was all bang, bang, bang, bang,” in the third track, “Looking For Somebody (To Love),” portrays this very clearly. In this song, Healy suggests that we must reconnect ourselves to the world to break out of our shells of loneliness.
Another track, “Happiness”, is about… happiness. Healy speaks about the inspiration for this song during an interview with Zane Lowe: “We did it in like a day or so. And it’s us having fun. And I think that there’s this real desire in art to see something remarkable with as little technology as possible”. Along with other songs, this track truly shows an insane burst of energy.
As the album makes its way to its ending tracks, the energy of the album seems to simmer down. With tracks like “All I Need To Hear” and “Human Too'', Healy portrays himself in a vulnerable state. He is honest, displaying what he wants most: whether it is being loved by someone or a request from those who “canceled” him in the past to know that he is a human as well. “Human Too” does not come across as a self-pitying track, but is more of a reflection of him as a person.
When speaking about the sadder songs on the album, we must not forget about the penultimate song “About You”. This is an incredibly moving track speaking about past relationships. When you love someone and they are no longer there, it seems as if there is a gaping hole in your heart, and sometimes it feels as if this pain never goes away. This song perfectly encapsulates this feeling. With maturity being one of the album’s themes, this song teaches the biggest lesson of all: you may part with people who you love very much, but there will be a time when you must let go.
“About You” transitions into the final track, “When We Are Together”, which is about Healy’s previous relationships. It’s a comforting song speaking about the subtle ways love is shown and how maybe that is the most powerful thing about it. This poetic album ends in the best way possible with this song. On a more personal note, I have been listening to The 1975 since the 8th grade. Hearing an album like this coming from one of my favorite bands shifted something in my heart. On my first listen, I was very hesitant to accept it. However, after a closer listen, I finally understood how necessary this album is in The 1975 ethos.