The 1975 is an indie pop band based in England, known for their witty and self-deprecating lyrics set to energetic, autotuned beats. They released their fifth studio album, “Being Funny In A Foreign Language,” on Oct. 14.
While the instrumental backings on each of the tracks are typical of the band, the lyrics center more on romantic love than the previous albums. In the past, Matty Healy, the frontman and singer, typically discussed love through lust. This allowed him to keep his distance from the object of his affection, who in this album seems to be FKA Twigs, as they were together during its production. In my opinion, the distance lent a quality of self-awareness to earlier albums that created better lyrical storytelling.
The desperate yearning in every track in this newest release not only feels repetitive but uncharacteristic of the band. Rather than reflecting on his life or on socio-political issues, Healy is emotionally stagnant and uses each song to project his unchanging romantic desires. The constant pining makes the record difficult to listen to straight through as there is no development.
While certain songs are not enjoyable on their own, “Part of the Band,” the first single off the album, stands out as a more introspective song that is still replayable. The lyrics, such as, “Am I ironically woke? The butt of my joke? / Or am I just some post-coke, average skinny bloke / Calling his ego imagination?” are reminiscent of their previous album, “Notes on a Conditional Form.” The jazzy instrumentals prevent the song from feeling utterly depressing, which is more representative of the band and their ability to make self-reflection entertaining.
I also enjoyed “Wintering,” even though the guitar in the background created a folk feeling that is atypical of the band. This worked well, as the band was able to utilize their signature dark humor while also showing growth through the employment of different instrumental stylings. Not to mention, the song contained the only line on the album that made me laugh: “John’s obsessed with fat ass, and he’s ten years old.”
The rest of the album blended together as Healy droned on about his love over similar-sounding pop beats. The monotony in the rest of the tracks and predictable musical features prevented this album from meeting my expectations.
Despite its title, The 1975’s newest album shied away from their usual humor and political commentary. Rather than showing musical or personal growth, this album felt regressive, especially considering the serious topics covered in their last two albums. Overall, this album was a disappointing new release from a band with such a huge cult following.
