The 1975 — Notes On A Conditional Form (5/22/20)
In the three weeks since this album’s release, I’ve seen opinions across the board. It’s the English band’s longest album at 1 hr 20 min and over a third of the runtime is devoted to interlude tracks, which feels unnecessary for many listeners. As for myself, while it’s clearly a massive undertaking of a listen, I don’t find one song on here that doesn’t deserve its place.
The album is the final part of their latest musical era, under the name Music for Cars, following 2018’s A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships. It’s the most grandiose album I’ve heard in 2020 and there’s just so much going on that it’s hard to wrap it all up in one tight package.
After the 5-minute spoken-word introduction by the one and only Greta Thunberg (beautiful but drawn out), we get the distorted protest punk anthem “People.” Passionate, rightfully angry, and ultimately just a little grating for my tastes.
My ears are soothed though with the following orchestral piece that is “The End (Music For Cars).” It’s absolutely stunning but it sounds (as the name entails) like a conclusion of sorts and feels a little out of place at number three on the tracklist.
There are several easter eggs through the album that connect some of these songs to ones from their past. “Frail State Of Mind” walks a very similar beat to last album’s “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME,” Matt Healy singing the same melody, just more subdued. The somber arrangement takes influence from UK garage (UKG) music the likes of Burial and it comes off quite pretty.
The beautiful, scene-setting strings of “Streaming” make the perfect introduction to “The Birthday Party.” The dreamy folk-pop track is one of the most gorgeous pieces of music I’ve heard this year. Matt Healy’s soft-spoken delivery is wonderfully touching and he references his past with drug addiction and how he uses his friends to stay clean.
“Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America” is another slow-burn and it manages to cut the deepest for me. The supporting vocals from Phoebe Bridgers work wonders and with distant horns, the song reaches the most pained emotions of the album.
They obviously liked what Bridgers brought to the table because they use her on multiple songs. She’s well-suited for the somber acoustics as is evident with “Playing On My Mind,” her harmonizing vocals helping smooth out the delivery. You can also find her on the breezy pop/folk track “Roadkill,” a song that hits on some funny anecdotes about life on the road.
They display an open 90’s pop-rock sound with the loveable “Me & You Together Song” and the punchy and quick love song “Then Because She Goes.”
“If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)” is probably the most universally loved song on the album and it’s no surprise. The first 45 seconds just sets an atmosphere and it makes it especially impactful when the first guitar chords come in. It’s the biggest hook and the horns are almost annoyingly catchy, but it’s a feel-good song and it screams classic.
“Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied” and the following “Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy)” pair up nicely. They both have a more soulful presence. The former walks on a bit of a hip-hop beat (the pitched down vocals at the 1:20 mark show glimpses of Twenty One Pilots’ “Fairly Local”) and holds a lovely gospel hook. The latter is a little further from my tastes with a somewhat smooth jazz atmosphere and light horns, but it’s a very comfortable track.
It’s nice to hear Matt Healy paired with his father, Tim on “Don’t Worry.” His dad wrote the song for Matt’s mom when Matt was a toddler and it’s one of the first songs Matt ever remembers hearing. It’s a sweet lullaby but I’m not getting sappy over it.
The closing “Guys” acts somewhat as an antithesis to the 2013 hit “Girls” (the song that got me into The 1975), and is Matt’s declaration of love to his bandmates who he’s been with since the age of 13. It’s an easy soft-pop close to a complex album.
I haven’t touched on the “weirder” cuts from the album such as the deep-house Cutty Ranks sampled “Shiny Collarbone” or the 6-minute instrumental piece by drummer/producer George Daniel, “Having No Head.” There’s also more experimenting with UKG on “Yeah I Know,” beautiful textures with mellow house beats on “I Think There’s Something You Should Know,” and an orchestral/house combo on “Bagsy Not In Net.”
And finally, “What Should I Say,” a piece of house music that they’ve been working on since before their last album. FKA Twigs provides the fluttering vocals in the hook and it took them a long time to figure out the appropriate arrangement around it. The end result is a warped vocal performance from Matt over a passive beat that leads into the bumpin’ chorus.
I’ve always been very pick-and-choose with The 1975’s albums; I am definitely not a die-hard fan. I go back to A Brief Inquiry for “Give Yourself A Try,” “TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME,” and “I Like America & America Likes Me.” I never revisit I like it when you sleep but “Somebody Else” was always my favourite, and “Chocolate,” “Girls,” and “The City” are the only three I ever listen to from their self-titled.
That may end up being the case with this album as well. A fantastic achievement and a well-rounded album but ultimately I’ll probably just end up coming back mostly for “The Birthday Party,” “Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America,” “Me & You Together Song,” and “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know).”
