THE 1975 - BEING FUNNY IN A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
After mixed reviews from fans about The 1975’s fourth album Notes On A Conditional Form, no one was quite sure what to expect going into this new album.
With each new record that the band puts out, they significantly alter both their music and overall album aesthetics. Starting a new era of The 1975 always feels like starting a new chapter, and we’re never quite certain what it’s going to look like.
This new album cycle kicks off with the lead single and dark and gloomy music video, ‘Part of the Band.’
With the public knowledge that this new album would be produced by Jack Antanoff, many fans felt hopeful that The 1975 would move into a different, more cohesive direction.
This lead single represents Antanoff’s influence the most clearly out of all tracks on the album, and feels very similar to many songs released by his band Bleachers. Although this single was much better received than their previous album’s lead single ‘People,’ it does not feel like the most accurate track to choose as a lead single, as it is not very representative of the what the rest of the album sounds like, and instead felt like an odd note to start this new era on.
Their second single, ‘Happiness,’ switches directions completely as it brings many long-term fans back to 2016. The 1980’s pop influence and funky bass riffs feel incredibly reminiscent of the band’s beloved sophomore album I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it. This track would have been the perfect first single to begin this new album cycle with, as it is a perfect, fun, and light-hearted representation of what Being Funny In A Foreign Language is - a fusion of old and new The 1975.
The 1975 experiments with acoustic instrumentation much more than ever before on this record, and even includes some slight folk influence from the banjo and fiddle that are sprinkled throughout the album. Despite this slight change of pace and presumably permanent erasure of their classic album introduction, for long-term fans of The 1975, this album still feels like coming home. The immediate fan-favorite ‘About You’ offers a direct sequel to the classic 2012 track ‘Robbers,’ and tracks such as ‘Looking For Somebody To Love’ and ‘Wintering’ bring us back to their popular indie pop dance hits of the past.
Being Funny In A Foreign Language offers the perfect mixture of The 1975’s old and new sound. Although the singles from this album represent a wide range of moods and left many fans unsure what the overall sound would be, most people were left ultimately very impressed with the final product. This album takes many long-term fans of The 1975 back to their original 1980’s synth-pop sound, and brings back the fun and funky side of their music that made us fall in love with this band in the first place. For any fans who lost interest in The 1975 because of Notes On A Conditional Form, peace is finally restored, as our favorite band is finally back in action.
Emily Gottlieb
★★★★★