The 1975 – Being Funny in a Foreign Language

Being Funny in a Foreign Language is a step up from the last two releases by The 1975. It brings back elements that made their initial two records great, while retaining traces of their last two albums. Previous work explored love in a very uncertain and experimental manner, looking at it through a sexual lens rather than covering the emotionally intimate aspects of a relationship. All of that changes in Being Funny in a Foreign Language. Here, Healy sings freely about being in love with more than just his significant other’s physical attributes. The band accompanies this take on the subject with the strong presence of flowery acoustic guitar and less synth, wrapping the sound of tenderness in jazzy tones.

As usual, the playlist opens with self-titled track The 1975. This version is faster paced and more erratic; keyboard and synth create a surreal and hysterical daze with a technique similarly used in Classy Girls by The Lumineers and Del Shannon’s Runaway. Looking for Somebody (to Love) calls back to their 2016 single, Somebody Else, but this time, instead of excusing and almost denying his jealousy, the singer states clearly his possessive tendencies in an upbeat and confident manner. This reminds longtime listeners that while there’s development, the character here is still a work in progress.

Next are two contrasting songs one after the other, touching on two sides of love. First comes Oh Caroline, which juxtaposes the sensation of being smitten with Healy’s history of drug use. This depressive display of affection is overturned by I’m in Love with You, sliding into a high from the downfall of its predecessor. The track refocuses the association of infatuation with both the inability to speak and the urge to shout about it at the top of the lungs. This joyful madness carries on into Wintering with its little snippets of people’s lives. Quite like Christmas, this song is just a little messy and hectic, but worth it.

There’s a lot of repetition in the lyrical structure here, characterising stuttering in the face of passion. The longer the album goes on, the hazier everything gets, and the more every tune and word blends into the next – until it circles back to where it started at The 1975.

Mae Trumata

Being Funny in a Foreign Language is released on 14^th October 2022. For further information or to order the album visit The 1975’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Happiness here: