By Alyssa Crutcher
The 1975’s newest album release “Being Funny in a Foreign Language” takes solemn saxophone and piano instrumentals, groovy, upbeat drum solos, and other funky melancholic beats to compile a list of songs that move the listener with both heartache and humor.
The band’s fifth studio album is reminiscent of their older style of music, with many of the songs giving off a groovy 80s vibe.
The album kicks off strong with its first track titled “The 1975.” The song is an ode to teenagers facing the societal pressure of who they should be and how they should look.
The second line sums up the feeling perfectly: “I’m sorry if you’re living and you’re 17 / I’ve heard it’s en vogue to be super thin / But your friends aren’t thick, so they can’t come in.”
The song touches a soft spot in the hearts of many teenagers dealing with self-esteem issues due to the effects of social media and makes references toward the romanticization of mental illness, a concept prominent with today’s youth.
With angst and a hint of empathy, Matt Healy, the band’s lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist, sings “You’re makin’ an aesthetic out of not doing well / And minin’ all the bits of you you think you can sell.”
The third track, “Looking For Somebody (To Love),” is the perfect 80s-vibe song to listen to with your windows rolled down. Representing modern masculinity, Healy sings “I wanna show him he’s a b—- / I wanna f— him up good / I wanna smash the competition, go and kill it like a man should.”
The song touches on the more modern issue of what happens with a man when a woman refuses his advances. “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.” A painful and vehement set of lyrics, Healy is able to touch on serious topics throughout the entire album with grace and ease.
The album’s fourth track, “Part of the Band,” has more of a playful folk-rock vibe with the calm strumming of a guitar in the background during the chorus.
It plays around with self-reflection and sarcasm: “Am I ironically woke? The butt of my joke? / Or am I just some post-coke, average, skinny bloke / Calling his ego imagination?.” It’s a little more raunchy than the rest of the tracks with lines detailing his sexual affection toward an unknown woman whom he did not land, yet still somehow delivers such topics with sophistication.
While most of The 1975’s sound uses pessimism and cynical language in their favor, the album’s love anthems are a breath of fresh air and offer a break from the band’s usual bleak, yet satisfying, energy.
The album changes direction with its fifth track titled “Oh, Caroline,” a melancholic love anthem. In this, Healy sings to the made-up character, Caroline, expressing his devotion with lyrics like “Oh-oh, Caroline / I wanna get it right this time / ‘Cause you’re always on my mind.”
The anthem is definitely the opposite vibe from the third track, portraying feelings of love rather than lust.
“All I Need To Hear,” the seventh track of the album, is a beautiful piano ballad that touches on isolation and depression. Healy sings “’Cause I don’t need music in my ears / I don’t need the crowds and the cheers / Oh, just tell me you love me / ‘Cause that’s all that I need to hear.”
Track eight of the album brings us right back to the upbeat, sarcastic sound. “Wintering” is a Christmas song detailing the stressful, yet beautiful experience of going home to your family for the holiday.
The song revolves around Healy detailing the funny quirks of his family members. With a touch of humor, Healy sings “Yeah, she’s called Hannah and she plays the Joanna / Grade eight but she’s got no soul.” and catches up with an old friend with “And I bumped into Julie in the co-op / She asked how the family’s been / I said “Alex is a sculptor and Olivia’s been a vegan since ten.”
“Wintering” offers up a more light-hearted and empathetic concept that many families can relate to around the holiday season.
The album’s ninth track, “Human Too,” encapsulates Healy’s amazing vocal abilities as he sings softly and calmly, in a high register. The song is reminiscent of the band’s 2018 release “Be My Mistake.” It offers up a refreshing candor and focuses on themes of fragility and weakness.
Healy’s soft vocals on top of the refreshing and soft piano melody adds a layer of sentimentality, singing lyrics like “And I’m sorry that I’m someone that I wish I could change / But I’ve always been the same / Yeah, I’ve always been the same.” It’s something surely anyone can relate to.
The chorus of “Human Too” pulls at the heartstrings of listeners as Healy almost begs the listener to understand we are all just human.
The album’s closing track “When We Are Together,” is an acoustic, melancholy folk song using a variety of beautifully-played string instruments.
In the song, Healy recalls a past relationship and sings about the aftermath of it not working out. With raw and calming vocals, Healy sings “You ask about the cows, wearin’ my sweater / It’s somethin’ about the weather that makes them lie down / The only time I feel I might get better is when we are together.”
A portrayal of such a simple conversation between Healy and the unknown love interest holds so much emotion. Healy opens up about the misunderstanding that ended it all: “I thought we were fightin’ / But it seems I was gaslightin’ you / I didn’t know that it had its own word.”
Using an acoustic guitar and violin, the track offers a calming and wistful presence before ending on the same piano chords the first song opened with, bringing the album full-circle.
Emphasizing the band’s carefree attitude, moving ballads and use of live instrumentation rather than computer-generated musicality we hear in their last album, “Notes on a Conditional Form,” the album embraces what is arguably The 1975’s best release. It is an arrangement of heartwarming and heartbreaking songs that will have any listener laughing through their tears.