Can you believe it? We are this close to the arrival of the 1975’s new album Notes On A Conditional Form. The much-anticipated followup to 2018’s A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships finally comes out next week and, as you are likely aware, there have been a whole bunch of songs shared in advance. Starting back in July of last year, the band unveiled “The 1975,” “People,” “Frail State Of Mind,” “Me & You Together Song,” “The Birthday Party,” “Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America,” and “If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know).” They are back with one more today — but don’t worry, there’s still another 14 tracks on the album.
The latest cut from Notes On A Conditional Form is “Guys,” the album’s wistful closing track. It’s one of the songs that the band had previously debuted live, so perhaps you already know that it’s a romantic mid-tempo meditation that could’ve fit nicely on pretty much any 1975 album. Like “If You’re Too Shy” before it, there is something quintessentially 1975-esque about “Guys” — at least when compared to left-field surprises like “People.”
And that turns out to be a fitting backdrop for the themes of the song. “Guys” is romantic in the sense of looking back on friendships and how much they’ve meant to you, the people who have helped shape you or helped you get through shit. It’s a tribute from Matty Healy to his bandmates, and the life they’ve managed to carve out for themselves. “You guys are the best thing that ever happened to me,” Healy sings. A lot of times talk of the 1975 can get bogged down in “What does it all mean?” hijinks, but “Guys” is just a great, earnest song that’s likely to make you reflect on your own friendships (even if lines alluding to first touring Japan might not exactly be applicable to you and your buds specifically). Check it out below.
Notes On A Conditional Form is out 5/22 on Interscope/Dirty Hit. Pre-order it here.
