It’s been two years since The 1975 have put anything new into the world and their comeback single, "Part Of The Band," did not disappoint. It is their first single off the new record, Being Funny In A Foreign Language, set to release on October 14th.
It’s been a while since fans have heard from the well-cherished band. Having to cancel their world tour amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the road ahead seemed unclear. After releasing their 4th studio album, Notes On A Conditional Form in May of 2020, we didn’t hear much from them. The world was in need of a break and so were they, it seemed.
With that being said, the British Pop-Rock ensemble is making their comeback in a quietly powerful way. Their second record, I like it when you sleep for you are so unaware of it, had a vibrant shock factor, as they reemerged with a sound and look that was bursting with color and overtly fun pop music, though the poetically dark atmosphere found in the lyrics never ventured far from the band’s core. Veteran fans will certainly enjoy their return to the black-and-white era of their first self-titled record, The 1975, while appreciating a vibrant new sound. The 1975 have ventured down multiple paths of dreary gray to lively and exuberant pinks and purples. With this next promising chapter, it seems to all be coming full circle.
The opening vibrations sound reminiscent of the screeching and haunting guitar found at the beginning of “Sex,” the rock classic off of the 2013 debut album, The 1975. It quickly transforms into something inventive and invigorating. With frontman Matty Healy’s voice placed quietly over a choir of frantic violins, we are introduced to the sound with a subtle excitement that only continues to build. Healy’s vocals dance perfectly over the piercing, almost playful track.
Healy has always had a way of stringing together works in intricate ways that expand upon themselves as the song unfolds. Introspection and observation collide as the lyrics talk about not only Healy’s personal feelings but about his perspective of the world. He’s not afraid to call himself out with lyrics such as, ”Am I ironically woke? The butt of my joke? / Or am I just some post-coke average skinny bloke? / Calling his ego imagination.” The song does not shy away from talking about difficult topics such as substance abuse but still doesn’t cower away from adding in some humor, especially with lyrics, “I know some vaccinista tote bag chic baristas / Sitting in east on their communista keisters”
The song builds upon itself gracefully, adding elegant and ethereal guitar rhythms mixed with a mellow saxophone. The harmonies become even more powerful when backup singers, Jack Antonoff and Japanese Breakfast rise to the surface, highlighting Healy’s voice even further. A cohesive and peaceful dream, "Part of The Band" seems as though it will float on forever.
And that’s fine by me.