The 1975 have officially released the second single from their highly anticipated upcoming album, Being Funny in a Foreign Language. In a recent conversation with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1, lead singer Matty Healy opened up about the creative energy behind the track “Happiness” and what it represents for the band’s evolution.
“‘Happiness’ is like… there’s literally loads of us in the room on that track. Locked eyes… doesn’t really have much structure. It came through like jamming. And we haven’t done that in like years,” Healy explained. “So we just wanted this record to be really like a captured moment and not be too constructed and even produced that much…. We did it in like a day or so. And it’s us having fun. And I think that there’s this real desire in art to see something remarkable with as little technology as possible.”
You can listen to the new track and watch the music video below.
Expanding on the production of the new record, Healy discussed the collaborative process with producer Jack Antonoff. The partnership began through mutual admiration for each other’s work, particularly Antonoff’s contributions to Lana Del Rey’s discography. “I love Jack’s work, and those Lana records, in particular, like, some of my favorite stuff,” Healy noted. “We became friends talking about production and what I was doing and what he was wanting to do and what I was wanting to do. And then I kind of just thought, ‘Well, this is like a really nice new energy.'”
Healy emphasized that the band, specifically himself and bandmate George Daniel, had historically been very insular in the studio. Inviting Antonoff into that space marked a significant shift. “Why don’t you like come down to the studio and see what happens?” Healy recalled asking. “And then he did. And, then, ever since, we were just great, great friends.”
Being Funny in a Foreign Language is scheduled for release on October 14. The 1975 are set to embark on a tour in support of the album starting this November, with dates running through the end of the year.
