The 1975 - ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’

Ever since The 1975 underperformed with 2020’s ‘Notes On A Conditional Form’ many fans, including myself, felt a sort of lapse in the connection we once had with the band. This was the second album in the ‘Music For Cars’ era and after the massive success of 2018’s ‘A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships’, NOACF just fell flat and left a sour taste in the mouths of many.

My faith in The 1975 being back wasn’t originally high as the lead single ‘Part Of The Band’ took some time to grow on me but when I grew to understand its brilliance I fell in love with it. That song is entirely unconventional in all aspects and this album is entirely unconventional for The 1975. Just like with every other album this begins with a track titled ‘The 1975’ but this time around it is an entirely new song. Fans of the band will know the song ‘The 1975’ had the same lyrics sang over a different instrumental for their first three records and on NOACF it was a Greta Thunberg speech. This record also bucks the trend of the first single being the album’s “opener” following ‘The 1975’ setting the tone. This time ‘Happiness’ is second.

Musically, this is everything we’ve come to expect from The 1975 at this point but it all feels so much more refined. Everything from the groovy R&B stylings of ‘Happiness,’ the cheery and folky pop of ‘I’m In Love With You,’ and the 80s electro-pop sounds of ‘Looking For Somebody To Love’ all feel so much more elevated and mature than songs in these styles from previous albums. Genreless music and constant experimentation has always been the order of the day with The 1975 but never has it felt as realised as it does on BFIAFL.

As far as lyricism goes, excellence is to be expected of Matty Healy at this stage. The tenderness of tracks like ‘All I Need To Hear’ and ‘I’m In Love With You’ are matched so well with the humorous tone brought to songs like ‘Wintering.’ That’s not to say ‘Wintering’ isn’t serious but some of the lyrics and the way Healy presents them make you laugh and smile. He is truly a master of his craft and the quality of his lyricism is one thing that has fortunately never dropped over all five albums.

For all the ways that this album throws tradition out the window, one trope has remained. A slow, emotional song to close it all out. ‘When We Are Together’ is a beautiful love song that stands toe to toe with some of the best songs they’ve ever written. The lyric “I like socks with sandals - she's more into scented candles, oh I’ll never get that smell out of my bed,” is one that is packed full of Healy’s trademark wit and creativity whilst also not making the listener think too hard. It makes me smile from ear to ear everytime I hear it because it is just so lovely. This song is truly a perfect way to round out a perfect album.

Is this The 1975’s best? Maybe. I’m honestly not too sure. It's hard to tell when three of their five albums make a case for being perfect right through so what I will tell you is that they’re back and they’re just as good as they’ve ever been!