8/20/20
12:14 PM
The 1975 just keeps getting better.
Through the span of seven years and four studio albums, the English pioneers of alt-pop led by cultural icon and frontman Matt Healy, with bandmates such as guitarist Adam Hann, bassist Ross MacDonald, and drummer/ producer George Daniel, continues to refine their craft with each project while expanding their stylistic approach with every release.
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Like all of The 1975’s preceding discography, Notes on a Conditional Form is an amalgamation of the band’s usage of various genres, then adding on to the compound; creating a versatility and distinctiveness in their sound exclusive to only The 1975.
Thematically, Notes on a Conditional Form seems like a narrative about problematic predicaments— extrapolating on some global crises, then shifting back towards struggles with intrapersonal and relational aspects. On one hand, the lyrics in certain songs focus on the dangers of climate change or the uncertainty of humanity in the face of a pandemic that supposedly prisoned us into the confines of our own consciousness; and in another, Matt Healy calls himself out in his personal fragility— admitting to past dishonesty like the fact that he in fact, never fucked in a car. He was lyin’ (a reference to a lyric in his prior album “Love It If We Made It,” where the first line in the song is “We’re fucking in a car, shooting heroin” in which Healy takes unnecessary effort to expose himself and his former pretentious disposition), the line presents a sense of maturity that comes a long way from Healy’s freshman lyricism and contributes to the pattern of growth in his persona. On a related note, another favorable remark towards this album is the fact that long-time listeners of the band’s past work can find glimpses of the first three albums, and while those flashbacks account for a majority of the newest project, there are still multitudes of new and improved forms being supplemented in.
The irony and the abrupt nature of The 1975’s writing creates an atmosphere of confusion and contemplation, often times in the best way for listeners, and according to an exposition written by a critic from The Tab UK, “The 1975 are very good at making people who don’t have problems think they do” which… is deathly accurate, however, the humor may have been lost in transition for the individual as the intentionality of The 1975’s music might invite such introspection.
NOACF bounces back between a few tropes and tangibilities— from orchestral and sentimental cinematic scores to dancehall electronics, from country accented folk songs to bass thumping ballads about the complexities of relations— there’s really no cohesion in this album… yet it feels like the most cohesive album produced by The 1975 to date. A lot of that could be accredited to the fact that NOACF may be the most warm, glittery, and radiant collection of songs by The 1975, and while the genres fluctuate in almost every track moving to the next, the one thing you can still expect from the British pop rock band is the fact that whatever they release, it’ll sound good at the very least. Attesting to the quality of the production and musical aesthetics, Notes on a Conditional Form sounds like it was ripped out of an 80’s prom playlist at times, and is perfect for playing while driving through a timely sunset.
Perhaps the genius behind this project can be traced back to the combination of all the aforementioned components but also to the unpredictability of this album— who could’ve guessed that The 1975 would drop a country-adjacent album whilst keeping their original sound? And within these factors, the development of the band, their personalities, and their musical aesthetic grows more and more with each continuing album, placing hope in the future of our planet, and also in the upcoming projects from The 1975.
Listen to the album below: