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Being Funny in a Foreign Language

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Being Funny in a Foreign Language
Lead singer Matthew Healy posing on a car graffitied with chalk
Studio album by
the 1975
Released14 October 2022 (2022-10-14)
Recorded4 January – May 2022
Studio
Genre
Length43:26
LabelDirty Hit
Producer
The 1975 chronology
Notes on a Conditional Form
(2020) 		Being Funny in a Foreign Language
(2022)
Singles from Being Funny in a Foreign Language
  1. "Part of the Band"
    Released: 7 July 2022
  2. "Happiness"
    Released: 3 August 2022
  3. "I'm in Love with You"
    Released: 1 September 2022
  4. "All I Need to Hear"
    Released: 21 September 2022
  5. "About You"
    Released: 23 December 2022 (radio)[4]
  6. "Oh Caroline"
    Released: 17 March 2023 (radio)[5]
  7. "Looking for Somebody (To Love)"
    Released: 16 June 2023 (radio)[6]

Being Funny in a Foreign Language is the fifth studio album by English band the 1975. It was released on 14 October 2022 by Dirty Hit.[7] The album was recorded primarily at Real World Studios in Wiltshire. The band released the lead single "Part of the Band" on 7 July 2022, which was followed by the subsequent singles "Happiness", "I'm in Love with You", "All I Need to Hear", "About You", "Oh Caroline", and "Looking for Somebody (To Love)".

Upon release, the album received acclaim from critics, with many reviewers naming it some of the band's strongest work. Several publications such as NME, Billboard, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and Variety listed it as one of the best releases of 2022. It debuted atop the UK Albums Chart as well as reaching number one in Scotland, Ireland and Australia. It also reached the top 7 on the US Billboard 200, as well as top 10 in New Zealand, Japan, Canada and the Netherlands. The album was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2023 Brit Awards.[8]

Background

[edit]

Many of the band's 2020 shows that were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic were ultimately cancelled on 12 January 2021. During this time, lead singer Matty Healy teased future music under their previous name "Drive Like I Do", and said that the band was working on their fifth studio album. However, there was no indication as to when writing, recording, or mixing would be finished.[9]

On 14 February 2022, the band deactivated their main social media accounts, hinting at new material.[10][11]

The album title and track listing were revealed to select fans through postcards. The band released its first single from the album "Part of the Band" on 7 July 2022.[12] The second single, "Happiness", was released on 3 August 2022.[13][14][15] The third single, "I'm in Love with You", was released on 1 September 2022.[16] The fourth single, "All I Need to Hear", was released on 21 September 2022.[17]

Recording and production

[edit]

"Every record I've made, I convinced myself that I had so much to prove, so it had to be about everything that ever happened, everything that's happening now, and everything that could ever happen. But on this record, I said, 'Instead of a magnum opus, what about more like a polaroid?"

—Matty Healy, on Being Funny in a Foreign Language[18]

Writing sessions for what would eventually become Being Funny in a Foreign Language started in 2021, when the band worked on-and-off with producer BJ Burton, whom Healy admired for his production work on Bon Iver's 22, A Million (2016) and Low's Double Negative (2018) and Hey What (2021). During their time together, Burton noticed that his creative process varied greatly from the band's, as they would "[pull] up songs from Spotify, or [check] another reference for a chord progression" while writing.[18] He set out to align their differences, and eventually they did record what amounted to be "sparks where songs were being bred ... a bunch of early demos", but after Burton heard that the band began working with producer Jack Antonoff, he ended the sessions.[18] In an August 2022 interview with Pitchfork, Burton indicated that the band's creative pivot still "stung", though Healy indicated he was hoping to rekindle his working relationship with Burton for a future album.[18]

When recording with Antonoff, the band was determined to focus on their instrumental strong-suits and keep things as live and unadulterated by computers as possible. In an interview with Apple Music 1, Healy amounted the process to outright defining the true sonic identity of the band, while host Zane Lowe described it as the next step for a band with "such restless energy" as the 1975. Lowe cited that the band had "exhausted" their stylistic exploration and had reached a point of reflection on their improved technical skill in this record.[19] Similarly to Burton, Healy sought out to work with Antonoff, whom he called the "biggest producer in the world" out of respect for his production capabilities, specifically his work with American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey.[18] However, Healy made it clear to Antonoff that he retained full creative control of the recording process while working together.[18][19]

Promotion

[edit]

To support the album, the band embarked on a world tour titled At Their Very Best in 2022.[20][21] This was followed by an arenas tour titled Still... At Their Very Best the following year.[22]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.6/10[23]
Metacritic82/100[24]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[25]
Clash8/10[26]
Dork[27]
Evening Standard[28]
Gigwise10/10[29]
i[30]
NME[31]
Pitchfork8.0/10[32]
The Skinny[33]

Being Funny in a Foreign Language received critical acclaim upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 82 out of 100, based on reviews from 16 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[24] The album was rated an 7.6 out of 10 on the aggregator AnyDecentMusic?.[23]

Brady Brickner-Wood of Pitchfork wrote that the album "tames the group's taste for excess and plays up their fundamentals: goopy '80s guitars, pumping drums, schmaltzy saxophones, and infuriatingly good hooks" and praised the band's experimentation, noting that "even when their songs reek of camp, Healy has enough moxie to elevate a potentially horrible idea into an eloquent exclamation point".[32] El Hunt, writing for NME, noted how the band "tightened things up" on Being Funny in a Foreign Language, calling Healy's songwriting on the album "his most contradictory and intriguing yet, frequently turning his pen back on himself", concluding that the record "feels like the right next step after pushing experimental excess to its logical conclusion, and is comparatively lean with just eleven tracks to its name. 'The 1975: At Their Very Best' – the lofty, and slightly tongue-in-cheek title they've given to their upcoming tour – might be infuriatingly, brilliantly cocky, but let's face facts: it's also pretty accurate."[31]

Year-end lists

[edit]
Select year-end rankings of Being Funny in a Foreign Language
Publication List Rank Ref.
Billboard The 50 Best Albums of 2022 16 [34]
Clash Clash's Albums of the Year 48 [35]
DIY DIY's Albums of 2022 8 [36]
Entertainment Weekly The 10 Best Albums of 2022 10 [37]
Esquire The 25 Best Albums of 2022 * [38]
Far Out The 50 Best Albums of 2022 46 [39]
Gigwise Gigwise's 51 Best Albums of 2022 3 [40]
Insider The 20 Best Albums of 2022 11 [41]
The Guardian The 50 Best Albums of 2022 26 [42]
Los Angeles Times The 20 best albums of 2022 * [43]
New York Times Best Albums of 2022 * [44]
NME The 50 Best Albums of 2022 10 [45]
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2022 33 [46]
Rolling Stone Best Music of 2022 * [47]
Slant Magazine The 50 Best Albums of 2022 37 [48]
Slate The Best Albums of 2022 * [49]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2022 17 [50]
Under the Radar The 100 Best Albums of 2022 21 [51]
Uproxx Best Albums of 2022 13 [52]
Variety The Best Albums of 2022 9 [53]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Matthew Healy and George Daniel. Co-writers noted below

Being Funny in a Foreign Language track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The 1975"
4:10
2."Happiness"DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ5:03
3."Looking for Somebody (To Love)"
2:58
4."Part of the Band"Squire4:20
5."Oh Caroline"
3:32
6."I'm in Love with You"Adam Hann4:22
7."All I Need to Hear"Squire3:30
8."Wintering"Jacob Bugden2:45
9."Human Too"
  • Squire
  • Leftwich
  • Hogarth
3:44
10."About You" 5:26
11."When We Are Together"Rob Milton3:36
Total length:43:26
Japanese Version
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
12."All I Need to Hear" (Demo)Squire2:54
Total length:46:20

Personnel

[edit]

The 1975

Additional musicians

  • Jack Antonoff – guitar, piano, drums, backing vocals, violin, programming, string arrangements
  • Tommy King – keyboards, synthesizer
  • BJ Burton – synthesizer, programming
  • James Squire – backing vocals, piano, Wurlitzer, Clavinet, synthesizer, organ, acoustic guitar
  • John Waugh – saxophone
  • Evan Smith – brass
  • Bobby Hawk – strings
  • Warren Ellis – strings, string arrangements
  • Michelle Zauner – backing vocals
  • Oli Jacobs – Wurlitzer
  • Carly Holt – additional vocals
  • Zem Audu – saxophone
  • Sabrina the Teenage DJ – programming
  • Bobby Hawk – string arrangements
  • Ben Hudson – additional programming (track 10)

Technical

  • Jack Antonoff – production
  • BJ Burton – co-production (tracks 1, 5)
  • Robin Schmidt – mastering
  • Manny Marroquin – mixing
  • Chris Galland – mixing
  • Laura Sisk – engineering
  • Oli Jacobs – engineering
  • Andrew Gearhart – additional engineering
  • Dave Gross – additional engineering
  • Evan Smith – additional engineering
  • Jon Gautier – additional engineering
  • Jeremie Inhaber – mixing assistance
  • Robin Florent – mixing assistance
  • Scott Desmarais – mixing assistance
  • Dani Perez Carasols – engineering assistance
  • Dom Shaw – engineering assistance
  • Freddy Williams – engineering assistance
  • John Rooney – engineering assistance
  • Katie May – engineering assistance
  • Liam Hebb – engineering assistance

Visuals

  • Samuel Burgess-Johnson – artwork, creative direction
  • Samuel Bradley – photography
  • Patricia Villirillo – creative direction
  • Ed Blow – creative direction

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for Being Funny in a Foreign Language
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[81] Gold 100,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
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