Pop-rock band The 1975 has recently teased about a new album through their social media. A new release would be their fifth album, following on from 2020’s Notes on a Conditional Form. Clues as to the band’s activities were found first when their manager and record label boss, Jamie Oborne, posted on his Instagram Stories a picture of a whiteboard. On it was written a to-do list sporting one item; “Make great record“.
Via: @jamieoborne #the1975 pic.twitter.com/Mm3055l5oB
— The 1975 News (@the1975_mfc) January 4, 2022
However, that wasn’t all. Later that same day, The 1975’s frontman Matty Healy released a video on Instagram, which showed “black-and-white footage … [with] Healy strumming an acoustic guitar as instruments and recording equipment are set up around him“. According to NME, both Oborne and Healy’s posts seem to come from the same studio.
Rumours of a new album have been around for a while, with Healy joking about their “making another ‘classic record’” all the way back in August. Also, Healy has been teasing his audience with new material, playing two unreleased songs in an acoustic set last October, surprising fans at a Phoebe Bridgers concert in LA. One of the new songs was reportedly called “New York“.
Healy has also been releasing new artwork on his social media over the past few months alongside the band’s long-term collaborator, art director Samuel Burgess-Johnson. And The 1975 have been active in certain political arenas as well, supporting the organisation Music Declares Emergency, saying in a statement last October that “This November, the fate of the planet will be decided at COP26, The UN Climate Change Conference. We are proud to be supporting Music Declares Emergency and their #NOMUSICONADEADPLANET campaign as they fight to ensure a greener future for all. “
The band also designed and released a new charity shirt to further support the organisation. Their design came “in black and white t-shirt variations as well as on a white hoodie”, and “is based around their rectangle logo, bearing the ‘No Music On A Dead Planet’ slogan alongside the words: “The 1975 for MDE.“ Other artists that helped out with designs include Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, as well as graphic designer Peter Saville, well known for his part in designing record sleeves for the likes of Joy Division and New Order.
The band don’t seem to be doing any touring in the near future, but you can still get some of their merch on their website over here in anticipation of the new release. So, concert or no concert, there’s still something for fans of the group to look forward to in the coming months.
