Say what you will about The 1975; just don’t accuse them of doing anything half-heartedly.
“I’m in Love With You,” the latest single from upcoming album Being Funny in a Foreign Language, hit today. For some bands, that might involve a companion video with superimposed lyrics or a montage of life on tour. But not this band. Get ready for:
- Silent-movie-style cinematography
- Clown makeup
- Buster Keaton-esque hijinks
- Parkour stunts
- Phoebe Bridgers cameos
- Wire work
- A cliffhanger-y ending
And you know what? It all kind of works, mainly because irrepressible frontman Matty Healy completely and totally goes for it.
As for the song itself, that kind of works, too. When it comes to The 1975, I lean more in the direction of Brief Inquiry as opposed to Notes on a Conditional Form. And this single gives me “ It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)” vibes. Not as synth-y, and the ’80s of it all isn't quite as strong (still there, though), but it had me bobbing my head side to side.
Taken together with predecessors “ Part of the Band” (despite its occasionally cringe-inducing lyrics) and “ Happiness,” I’m cautiously optimistic about the new LP, which arrives Oct. 14 — six more weeks for the album-cycle auteurs to work with.
