By Emma Weidmann | Staff Writer
The favorite band of Tumblr users everywhere has returned with their fifth studio album, “Being Funny In A Foreign Language.” The album is a perfect 11 songs long, each an incredibly sensitive track, and several, as the title would suggest, funny.
Each album by The 1975 begins with a track titled “The 1975,” which functions as a check-in, a state of the union of sorts in which frontman Matty Healy describes the times as he sees them. This time, “The 1975” is a retrospective on the band’s past, eating disorder culture, drug abuse and politics, simultaneously name-dropping the QAnon conspiracy and making a sex joke within a span of a minute or two.
Healy has been said to be either a genius lyricist or just pretentious, and I’m firmly in the camp of Healy apologists. His music and his interviews all speak to a deeply thoughtful and real persona. It’s refreshing to see a public figure be utterly unafraid to speak their mind the way that Healy does. In everything, Healy is bitingly intelligent and always human.
If that wasn’t clear enough on the 2018 single “Love It If We Made It,” it’s palpable on “Looking For Somebody (To Love),” “Being Funny’s” statement on school shootings. Healy takes an empathetic position towards a horrific and uniquely 20th century issue, that “the boy with the plan and a gun in his hand was looking for somebody to love.”
The title of the album, even speaks to Healy’s urging for humanity and empathy. He said it comes from his opinion that being funny in a foreign language requires bridging cultural gaps and putting oneself in another’s shoes. It means taking the time to understand others, how their brains work and how their unique experience impacts them.
The entire album does not tackle such tough topics. Many of the songs play heavily on the band’s strong suit — a classic love song. “Oh Caroline,” among the best on the album, is an 80’s-inspired track with lyrics pining for a second chance.
It’s no surprise that such a beautiful album was produced by none other than Jack Antonoff, the musical wizard behind Taylor Swift’s “folklore” and “1989” and Lorde’s “Melodrama,” to name only a few. Add “Being Funny” to this list of masterpieces.
Two of the three singles, “Happiness” and “I’m In Love With You” are upbeat and uplifting tracks with sparkling instrumentals and disco-inspired beats.
My favorite track is “Wintering,” a charming song about going home for Christmas. Healy talks about members of his family in their entirety – the things that make them both ridiculous and lovable. He says “I just came for the stuffing, not to argue about nothing.” As much as the concept of not wanting to fight with your family over Christmas dinner isn’t new, it’s not something I often hear in songs, and is just one more instance where Healy’s songwriting shines.
As with any album this band has put out since their generation-defining debut, “The 1975,” their newest record can’t escape comparison.
Nothing can measure up to the moment I first listened to “The 1975” in eighth grade and had my brain chemistry permanently altered. It was full of angst, perfect for a 13-year old with a wardrobe of mostly black clothing from Forever 21.
Regardless, “Being Funny In A Foreign Language” is a fantastic album from start to finish, with clever lyrics and beautiful instrumentals. I’m more mature now than I was when I first became a fan of The 1975, and the band themselves are too. I’m excited to grow up some more with The 1975.
