The 1975 - ‘Being Funny In A Foreign Language’ Review: Familiar, but better
Acknowledging success in a specific genre, the band amplify it to a bolder, more confident and refined vision. It excels in what it’s good at but falls victim at times to one of the things it set out to do.
★★★★★★★★☆☆
Credit: The 1975 📸
They’ve always had ‘that’ sound. Since 2012, The 1975 haven’t strayed far from the comfort of melodic and dance-ready 80’s pop rock. But, with their meteoric rise to stardom and humongous appeal, you could argue does it even matter?
Now five No.1 albums in, controversial Matt Healy (frontman), catchy Adam Hann (lead guitar), rhythmic George Daniel (electro drums) and swaggering Ross Macdonald (bass) are back ‘at their very best’ with Being Funny In A Foreign Language.
Credit: The Official Charts 📸
It’s a bending odyssey of an album, one that’s familiar; acknowledging their success in a genre but amplifying it to a bolder, more confident and refined vision.
Jumping from honesty in relationships to school-shooter loneliness in just a few tracks; Healy continues to impress. As a 1975 fan, you’ll find yourself in comfortable territory, but with a collection of songs feeling more unified than ever.
There’s enough variety to please everyone, whether you’re looking to impersonate Healy’s infectious stage persona with a dance (Happiness), or pop on your Doc Marten’s and dig into the feels (About You).
:: Track By Track ::
The first half of the album is an absolute whirlwind of vibrancy and confidence; unleashing helplessly dance-ready and singalong tracks truly showing The 1975 at their very best.
Undeniably, BFIAFL opens with a classic introduction, a tradition the band do on each record, setting the scene for what’s coming in the next 43 minutes. Last time, we heard a chilling speech from climate activist Greta Thunberg demanding action on climate change before the kicking and screaming punk rock track of People.
This time, we’re greeted with a (self-confessed) LCD Soundsystem-inspired piano track, where Healy reflects on his life and the current state of the world, before diving into a funk-infused single that’ll get those hips swaying in moments.
Happiness features a 2019 interview from British GQ where Healy discusses that doing something good is what makes him happy, which laid the foundations for the track. It draws influences from ‘If you’re too shy…’ on previous album, and my, my, my it’s f*cking catchy.
Like most people, I had this song stuck in my head for days when the single was released earlier in the year. Despite touching on push/pull dynamics in relationships through oxymoron lyrics ‘oh, I would go blind just to see you’ and ‘I’d go too far just to have you near’ which is a recurring theme with Healy’s lyrics, the song is everything you’d expect and more musically.
As the song closes, we bounce into the blissful (dare I say it) Elvis-led groove of Looking for Somebody to Love. On the surface, it’s a sexy piece of music; sharing a similar sound to She’s American and Chocolate.
Lyrically, it’s an exceptionally clever track, depicting the emotional state of somebody (looking for love) who’s willing to commit a school shooting – but rather than doing so with a tender outlook, it opts for an energetic approach, likely reflective of the protagonist.
‘You should havе 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’
It’s poignant and naive and grounds the shooter – rather than isolating them with a lack of understanding. Especially, as it describes what the person has done, it’s almost as if they don’t realise the gravity of the situation, to them they were fixated on the task at hand.
‘Somebody lyin’ on the field
Somebody cryin’ on the phone
Somebody pickin’ up the body of somebody they were gettin’ to know’
As the protagonist recites their story, you realise it carries a similar narrative and structure to Foster The People’s 2011 hit Pumped Up Kicks. The dark undertone mixed with very direct speech is super interesting, and it’s one of the reasons Morrisey made a name for himself in the 80’s. If you’re going to listen to any track on this album, make sure it’s this.
After Looking for Somebody to Love, the grooves are down-tooled for folk, strings and acoustics; covering topics like self-deprecation, sarcasm, drugs and reflection, Part of the Band is the lead single from BFIAFL. It gives Healy a chance to indulge in his often pretentious and self-proclaimed genius style of songwriting, full of metaphors and comic references.
As the words take centre stage on this one, it’s easy to forget how well-produced and put-together the song is. The 1975 is excellent at creating a cinematic experience and forming an aesthetic and this is it; one of the most progressive tracks on the album easily.
Oh Caroline is next. Re-introducing the funk, jazz and pop we became familiar with in Happiness and Looking for Somebody to Love. It’s a dark pop song which is easily accessible to the masses while possessing enough ‘75 love to keep you playing it on repeat.
As we close the first half of the album, I’m in Love with You gifts one last dance. If you’re here for that classic sound I referred to earlier, then this is for you. It’s songs like this that make The 1975’s albums safe, but hey, it’s a gloriously straightforward listen that brings good vibes.
Mixing (pretty much) all of the instruments we’ve heard so far, Healy breaks down all his usual doubts. Notably, it’s the first time Healy has sung in a straight-forward fashion, replacing metaphors with a direct approach. Beware, it’ll be stuck in your head for probably even longer than Happiness.
The second half of the album is more sombre, a formula that again is fairly familiar to The 1975 fans. When you reach All I need to Hear, you realise how short BFIAFL actually is. Whatever your opinion is, this song follows on beautifully from the previous, as Healy now asks to hear the words ‘I love you’. After hearing him confidently express his love to seek reassurance, it’s a powerful contrast.
Following on from this is Wintering, a fast-paced The Cure inspired Christmas track. Taking inspiration from Part of the Band it’s very grounded and down to Earth, beginning with a recorded snippet of Healy chatting to the band, and lyrics including;
‘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
While Vin wears dresses while Debbie coalesces in a fleece that doesn’t work
And I’ll be givin’ my chair to my Mum ’cause her back hurts’
The song features an acoustic vibe throughout, brings back the piano from earlier in the album and complements everything with a dirty electric guitar breakdown.
Credit: The 1975 📸
Coming up to the finale, there are 3 songs left, and while they play their part in the album and maybe add some contrast, they’re all quite forgettable. Human Too takes influence from Childish Gambino and Bon Iver, a ‘75 ballad to fill a slot in the tracklist. However, when compared to their wider catalogue, it’s not a hugely strong track.
About You is slightly more interesting, featuring a duet between Healy and Carly Holt (wife of lead guitarist Adam Hann). Again, it’s classic The 1975, sounding similar to Somebody Else and fan-favourite Robbers. It grows on you and it’s no surprise it’s connected with people. When you’re sipping a Pumpkin Spiced Latte, this is your aesthetic.
When We are Together is a very relaxing way to end the album, touching on self-awareness and gaslighting in a previous relationship. I think out of all of the songs, the few that suffer from the ‘familiarity’ approach the most are the ballads.
:: Round-Up ::
Being Funny In A Foreign Language is ultimately a record that aims to tie together all of the previous The 1975 albums and progress ‘the sound’ in a coherent and progressive way. It is the first piece of work they’ve done where it feels like there was a self-awareness of what they’re good at, and then finding ways to make that even better.
If you’re keen to see the band evolve in a new direction, this doesn’t win in that department. That was their last effort, in experimental Notes On A Conditional Form (2020). But, if you stick around for the cleverness of Healy’s lyrics and that definitive ‘75 sound with a touch of maturity, then dive right in.
I thoroughly enjoy listening to this album, particularly the first half. You can’t beat those classic-sounding riffs and lyrics that whirl around in your head for weeks. As long as you take it for what it is and enjoy it, you’ll have a lot of fun.
Song Highlights:
Happiness
Looking For Somebody To Love
Part of the Band
All I Need To Hear
Now, it’s your turn. Give it a spin, and tell us what you think on Insta or X.
Rating: 8.5/10
Thank you for reading, why not stick around? 🖤
