The 1975: A Look Inside ‘Notes on a Conditional Form’

If you’re looking for classic The 1975 (if that concept even exists) or straight to radio pop tunes, you’re looking in the wrong place. Notes on a Conditional Form presents itself as a patchwork creation of the many different parts of Matthew Healy’s and George Daniel’s brains. In this album, the genre-less quartet explores many different aspects of music and displays them in a way that tells a story of all the places we’ve been and all the places we’ll be.

With 22 tracks, coming in at 80 minutes, this is by far the most exploratory album for the band. Far from traditional, the album seems to flow unexpectedly through several different genres, some explored by The 1975 in the past and others that appear to be a step in a new direction. ‘If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)’ seems remnant of fame-reaping album ‘I Like It When You Sleep, For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It’, while tracks like ‘Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied’ and ‘What Should I Say’ are unexplored territory.

The singles produced for this album seem to be the most radio-friendly of the collection with the exception of ‘People’, the edgy pop-punk reflection on society and political systems. They are seemingly the most reminiscent of the group’s past eras, paired with timely lyrics.

This album is certainly not for everyone, it is easy to pick and choose certain parts that may be in your realm of taste. Regardless of preference, this album is undeniably a bold artistic statement. Telling of a band who is set in their ways about not being set in their ways. The 1975 never fails to bring authenticity and uniqueness to everything they produce. Whether it is a sound you enjoy or not, the statement within prevails. It may not be as extensively successful or accepted as other releases, but it is a work that should be widely respected and deserves (at the very least) one listen all the way through.

The 1975 was never setting out to be the radio pop band of the century, they were just looking to be themselves. That becomes more clear with each of their ventures in music. It is nearly impossible to feign indifference for a band that is as self-aware, educated, experimental and loud as The 1975. They follow the concept of making art with a purpose, rather than just producing straight to radio crowd favorites, and there is something rather endearing about that. This is very evident in ‘Notes on a Conditional Form’.

As always, The 1975 has done something out of left field. We are again left wondering, “what’s next?”. Demanding attention and leaving almost all questions unanswered is what The 1975 does best.