Returning after two years with another enigmatic album title, The 1975’s “Being Funny In A Foreign Language” feels like a blend of old The 1975, mainstream pop and folk music.

Let me preface the rest of this with my love for the band. I’ve probably heard every other 1975 album at least a hundred times, and they’ve been in my top five listened-to artists every year for the last five years (thank you, Spotify Wrapped). 

After sitting down and listening to the album a few times, I can’t say it’s my favorite. In fact, I can definitively say that it is my least favorite album from them, but it is nonetheless beautiful and experimental. 

The entire album feels like the telling of a love story: looking for a lover, being in love with them, the highs and lows of the relationship and ending with hopeful words “the only time I feel I might get better is when we are together.”

As always, a self-titled track prefaces the rest of the album. It was odd to hear this first song be an “actual” song. Usually, they’re these funky, brief tunes that match the tone for the rest of the album. The first track definitely doesn’t “match” the rest of the album’s style, but it works.

It felt bizarre to jump from groovy and danceable songs, like “Happiness” and “Looking For Somebody (To Love),” to songs like “Part Of The Band” which were dominated by string and wind instruments, but I think “bizarre” is something that usually works for the band. 

Arguably, the best song on the album was “About You.” I’m a sucker for these soft songs that make you feel like you’re floating. The addition of Carly Holt, wife of the band’s guitarist Adam Hann, was a lovely touch as well.

While “Being Funny In A Foreign Language” isn’t the pinnacle of The 1975’s discography, it’s an album worth listening to and dissecting.