The 1975’s new album, “Notes On A Conditional Form,” Is Intentionally Unconventional
But is it any good?
Even before giving it a listen, I knew that The 1975’s latest effort was going to be different. I heard “People,” the thrashing, punk inspired single that sounds more like mid-to-late 90’s post-hardcore than it does the band’s usual brand of catchy and melodic pop. I knew that, for the first time in their discography, they chose to include vocals on the self-titled opening track, overlaying the instrumental with a speech by environmental activist Greta Thunberg. I pre-ordered the vinyl and saw that it was coming in an eco-friendly album sleeve.
Given all these factors, I expected NOACF to be a stylistic departure from the band’s past work, in the form of a more aggressive and politically charged protest album.
I was wrong.
Upon first listen, outside of the aforementioned tracks (which happened to be the first two), this record is neither aggressive nor political. It is different, however.
NOACF is all over the place in terms of genre, theme, flow, and overall aesthetic — seemingly abandoning so much of what makes an “album” an “album.” Then it hit me. What if Greta Thunberg’s opening about rebellion and change was meant to be a statement about the project as a whole? Maybe this was The 1975 saying fuck your rules and conventions? After doing some research, it turns out I was right: this was supposed to be a long and indulgent exhibition of artistic freedom that was free from form and style limitations.
The infectious hooks and pop-appeal that have marked all of The 1975’s previous work are here, but they are now haphazardly spattered throughout the 22-song tracklist. NOACF constantly jerks you around, fluctuating between this usual fare and glitchy instrumental interludes, country-esque folk ballads, dance music, and R&B songs. This is not to say that these songs are inherently bad, or off-putting, simply because they are different. In fact, there are a handful of these stylistic departures that I enjoy: “People,” “Frail State of Mind,” “Roadkill,” “Having No Head,” and “Tonight (I Wish I Was Your Boy).” However, a handful is simply not enough for a 22 track album, and in the end, NOACF ends up being a middling record that had potential, but ultimately fell short of its aspirations.
I get it — not every album needs to have a lofty concept or a cohesive theme or an overarching message. Hell, who’s to say that a release even has to be a single genre? The 1975 are not the first artists to do away with these conventions, and there are several instances of artists successfully breaking their respective molds and standards. Although, in my opinion, if an artist is going to attempt to do something like this, they need to offer something that is entirely unique. That is what separates this album from a project like Outkast’s The Love Below: many of the different sounds and elements on NOACF simply sound like the band is covering Against All Logic and old Kanye West B sides.
I understand what The 1975 was trying to do with their latest release. However, between the amount of lackluster songs and weird production choices (in particular, there’s a lot of questionable vocal effects that just don’t make any sense), the boys from England seem to have missed the mark.
But hey…I respect them for pushing boundaries and trying something new. It’s much better to the alternative of putting out the same record over and over again.
