The 1975 strikes all the right chords with “People”

The 1975’s music is finally as hot as Matty Healy.

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It’s not everyday that a British pop band rhymes Barack Obama with legal marijuana.

One of modern music’s most alluring bands, The 1975, have released the lead single, “People,” from their fourth upcoming studio album, “Notes on a Conditional Form.”

If you haven’t heard it, expect to be stunned. 

The 1975 have made a total departure from their saccharine beginnings, and for at least one track, have reformed as an honest to God punk band. 

Punchy instrumentals stand in stark contrast to the band’s previous under-wrought, synth-infused, sonic mediocrity. 

Lead singer, Matty Healy trades in his habitual cooing for distorted, shouted vocals that still ring lyrical think Robert Smith on steroids. 

The addictive track is essentially punk rock though it is no stale homage but rather a vital entry in the storied canon. 

The lyrics do their job of letting the listener know that the band is led by a temperamental British revolutionary who is thoroughly unimpressed with the greatest foe of punk rock society. 

But The 1975 goes deeper. 

Wake up, wake up, wake up/It’s Monday morning and we’ve only got a thousand of them left/Well, I know it feels pointless and you don’t have any money/But we’re all just gonna try our fucking best,” Healy screams earnestly. 

How much more plain can he be? The youth of the world are currently facing a climate change induced mass extinction – equipped with none of the power to prevent it. 

You should be screaming too, suggests “People.”

The track is only partially doom and gloom. 

Healy brings his usual dose of sex appeal to the high octane track, making it all the more delectable. 

As punk rock as the song is, it’s also formulaic pop perfection. 

“People” is a stand out track from 2019, and the band’s best single to date. 

If it never becomes more than that, it will have served its purpose. 

Rating: 3/5