"Notes On A Conditional Form" by The 1975 explores different styles and sounds

Photo: Cover art for digital release

The 1975: "Notes On A Conditional Form"

Released: May 22, 2020

Label: Interscope

Genre: Pop/Rock

Producers:

George Daniel, Jonathan Gilmore, and Matthew Healy

Writers:

Adam Hann, George Daniel, Greta Thunberg, Matthew Healy, No Rome, Ross MacDonald, and Tim Healy

This record's lyrics show Matty Healy's vocalist ready to say everything he loves or worries about, from politics to complicated relationships. "Notes On A Conditional Form" follows The 1975 third record, "A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships" (2018), and is the second of two albums from their third release cycle, "Music for Cars."

Every album by "The 1975" opens with a track called "The 1975," but until "Notes on a Conditional Form," every single one used the same set of lyrics, beginning "Go down / Soft sound." This one breaks the model. Also, "The 1975" is the second lyrical song by the band that does not feature Matty Healy's voice. The first one, "The Man Who Married a Robot / Love Theme" from their third album, shared the same form: an instrumental background with Siri's spoken word. On this new "The 1975", they chose the speech "Our House Is on Fire" by the climate activist Greta Thunberg.

When Healy screams, "wake up, wake up, wake up!" on "People," and the song surges through your body right after Thunberg's speech, the effect is remarkable. The song is a cry for people to act against the world's problems, including the generation gap, conservatism, and other political issues.

Photographer: Jordan Curtis Hughes

On the third track, we've got the first interlude. There are a lot of them. "The End (Music for Cars)" is an instrumental deriving from the band's 2013 "Music For Cars EP," which also appeared on the deluxe version of their first self-titled studio album. The title refers to the conclusion of the "Music For Cars" era.

About "Frail State Of Mind," in an interview with Zane Lowe of Beats 1 before the track's premiere, Matty described the song about anxiety in general. She said that we, as a society, are having a global anxiety attack. The lyrics focus on how humans deal with introverted behavior, social situations, and modern-day communication.

We've got another interlude next with "Streaming," an instrumental one that transitions into the next track, "The Birthday Party." And now, we're starting to vibe again. It's a chilled-out trance, but the lyrics are explicit. "I was wasted and cold, minding my business / And I seen the girls, and they were all like / "Do you wanna come and get fucked up?". It's simple yet brutally honest. And the music video? A masterpiece. Directed by Ben Ditto, it may symbolize the momentary pleasure of the internet and technology use.

"Yeah I Know" is a pulsating electronic sound. Guided by beats and computer sounds, the pop side comes with "Then Because She Goes." Matty sings about having to leave with someone he loves, though not permanently, and the sadness that comes with it.

On "Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America," Healy's voice intertwines beautifully with that of Phoebe Bridgers as they contemplate existentialism and their crushes — his on "a boy I know" and hers on "the girl next door." The track marks The 1975's first-ever lyrical feature on their album.

The tenth song, "Roadkill," sounds like a trip, with an inclination to country, especially in the chorus. It explores a direction unknown by the band, and the result is, in fact, curious. The comedic lyrics allow us to look at the backstage of Matty Healy's image-written lifestyle and his basic human issues as "tucked-up erection" due to longing for the days when his sexual life was more active and adventurous.

"Me & You Together Song" is The 1975's poppiest and most playful. This one features Matty singing about being fascinated with a friend who doesn't feel the same way. Throughout Matty's rise to fame, multiple questions have emerged about his sexuality as he sings on the song. "I'm sorry that I'm kinda queer/It's not as weird as it appears/It's 'cause my body doesn't stop me (Stop me)/ Oh, it's okay, lots of people think I'm gay/ But we're friends, so it's cool, why would it not be? (Not be)." "Me & You Together Song" and later, "If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" are prominent examples of the 1975's way with a straightforward pop song.

Photographer: Jordan Curtis Hughes

"I Think There's Something You Should Know" talks about feelings of discomfort in oneself.

Matty Healy is bent on deconstructing his carefully curated persona's entire artifice by revealing something hidden or denying everything he is known for. "I never fucked in a car, I was lying," he sings on "Nothing Revealed/Nothing Denied."

On this gentle and clean "Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy)," Healy deals with feelings of wanting for another but ultimately messing everything up. The song contains a sample of "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)," written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong and performed by The Temptations, and both samples and interpolates "Say Goodbye," written and performed by Hiroshi Sato.

Another track that also serves us with creativity is "Shiny Collarbone."

"If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know)" will delight critics and casual listeners alike. It is an uptempo, guitar, and horn-heavy track. Matty sings about his obsession with a girl online, most likely from pornography. The record also features opening and backing vocals from British singer FKA twigs.

In his interview with NME, Matty Healy mentioned the song "Playing On My Mind," saying, "It's just me asking loads of me trying to figure stuff out." "Having No Head" is likely an instrumental track, first played by the band's drummer and producer, George Daniel, during an Instagram Live session on his birthday on March 22, 2020. It is the longest song on the album, with six minutes and five seconds.

Built around a fluting melody and accentuated by a ghostly vocal from FKA twigs, "What Should I Say" features an electronic, obscure version of Matty's vocals. On Instagram, he said that "What Should I Say" "results from us never figuring it out. It's just a series of big blasts of forwarding momentum."

"Bagsy Not in Net" contains a sample of "Sailing," written and performed by Christopher Cross.

Photographer: Mara Palena

"Don't Worry" is a song written and performed by Matty Healy's father, Tim Healy, alongside Matty himself. During the interview with Beats 1, Matty revealed the story behind this song: "He [Tim] played it for me when I was eleven, he wrote it when I was about two."

The song's called initially "You," but since there is already one track called "You" by The 1975, Tim has renamed it "Don't Worry."

"Guys" closes The 1975's fourth studio album with a tribute to the band members' relationships with one another.

The album marks a significant change in sound from the band's previous albums. It must be praised for its diversity of musical styles and Healy's confessional lyrics.

Favorite Lyrics on the album: Editor's Pick

"This ain't going well"/ I thought that I was stuck in Hell/ In a boring conversation with a girl called Mel/ About her friend in Cincinnati called Matty as well" (The Birthday Party)

"I'm in love but I'm feeling low/ For I am just a footprint in the snow/ I'm in love with a boy I know/ But that's a feeling I can never show" (Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America )

"I'm sorry that I'm kinda queer/It's not as weird as it appears/It's 'cause my body doesn't stop me (Stop me)/ Oh, it's okay, lots of people think I'm gay/ But we're friends, so it's cool, why would it not be? (Not be) "(Me & You Together Song)