Matty Healy and The 1975 Mature with “Being Funny In A Foreign Language”

The 1975 band members from left to right: George Daniel, Matty Healy, Ross MacDonald, Adam Hann

Dominic Freeman from Flickr

English pop rock band The 1975’s lead vocalist Matty Healy has never been scared of committing a musical faux pas. There is yet to be an album by the band that does not contain a lyric that leaves listeners scratching their heads. Healy’s audacious frontman status has created a multitude of detractors of the band. Whether Healy’s persona is genuine or not, we don’t necessarily know. However, there are just as many 1975 fans as there are critics, if not more.

Despite Healy’s odd behavior and lyrics, the band does make quality music. And their latest record, “Being Funny In A Foreign Language,” attests to that. The 1975’s newest installment in their discography is arguably their most focused and precise piece of work to date. Released on Oct. 14 with 11 tracks and 43 minutes of immaculate production, this album produces earworm melodies and some of Matty Healy’s best songwriting. 

The band enlisted the help of mega-pop producer Jack Antonoff to co-produce the album, who has worked with the likes of Taylor Swift, Lorde and Lana Del Rey. His prowess as a producer is on full display as Healy glides over lush and intricate instrumentals. The mix of upbeat, hopeful songs like “Happiness” and “I’m In Love With You” perfectly juxtapose the quiet folk-rock of songs like “All I Need To Hear” and “When We Are Together.”

Many listeners may view this album as their most reserved record, leaving behind the rawness of their debut and the larger-than-life sophisti-pop and electro-pop on previous records like “A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships” and “Notes On A Conditional Form.” On “Being Funny In A Foreign Language,” The 1975 sound more mature and refined than ever, encapsulating their old sound and giving listeners arguably their best album yet.

At its core, this is an album about love. “I think with this record I was like ‘yeah I could say I’ve got a disease and you took a picture of your salad and put it on the internet, [In reference to older lyrics]’ I could do that, or I could say, ‘just tell me you love me that’s all that I need to hear [In reference to lyrics on Being Funny In A Foreign Language]’,” says Healy in an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe.

The 1975 are done with being indirect. Healy is quite literally saying “I am in love with you and I am a better person when we are together.” No longer are they working around the point. And the music thrives because of it. 

Matty Healy’s writing on this record is quite consistent, although there are a few bizarre lyrics, like “I think I’ve got a boner, but I can’t really tell” and “sitting east on their communista keisters, writing about their ejaculations.” Although there are still a couple of Healy-isms here and there, songs like “Human Too” and “Wintering” prove that he knows how to write quality lyrics and melodies.

Adam Hann, Ross MacDonald and George Daniel’s instrumentation perfectly compliments Healy and paints him in a new light, verifying him as one of the most notable frontmen of the 2010s. This is evident especially on the back half of the opening track, “The 1975,” where elements of shoegaze and dream pop come together to deliver a perfect introduction. Healy’s vocal performance carries the song as he croons over glossy piano keys. The production towards the end includes electric guitar and saxophone (textbook The 1975) for an ethereal closing to the track. On the track “All I Need to Hear,” lyrics like “Oh, I don’t care if you’re insincere, just tell me what I want to hear” are elevated by swooning guitars and percussion. 

“If you’re always earnest, then when you really do it, it doesn’t really translate whereas the one thing that I know on this record is that I believe everything that I’m saying,” says Healy. He is no longer scared of writing about how he truly feels. The 1975 literally have a song off of their 2018 record called “Sincerity is Scary.” It is hard to be vulnerable and put your emotions on display, especially in front of so many people who are so closely analyzing them.

Matty Healy can be brash. He can be irreverent. His humor may not land with everyone. But he is The 1975 and “Being Funny In A Foreign Language” is a magnificent sign for the future of the band.