Most of the teasing from the band began over a month ago, In true 1975 spirit, June 1^st continues to be a bit of an in-joke amongst the fandom. After deriving their name from an inscription in a poetry book that read “1st June, The 1975″, June 1^st just seems to be the date where things happen. This time around, the posters started popping up and they also started sharing new images on their socials with the caption “Your new album. Your new era. Your old friends. The 1975”. A handful of other cryptic images and captions later, we come to the present, with the promise of a new album set for release in… October. That’s right, October 14^th. You can pre-order the record here. You’ll have forgotten you’d even ordered it by the time the release date actually comes around. Treat yourself.

The 11-track album may come as a warm surprise to some fans as their previous 2 records – A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships and Notes On A Conditional Form – were well received by critics and fans, have been described as a little bloated, and a few too many unnecessary interludes and throw away tracks. Aside from the recurring “The 1975” intro, there’s hardly any space for filler. If the lead single is anything to go by, their now practically trademarked blend of slick and shiny pop-production meets Beach Boys-esque instrumentals has very much been adhered to.

While the announcement of a new album, and lead single is all well and good, what we’re really after is a tour. As of yet, the band are only scheduled to make 2 appearances in the foreseeable future. This August, both Tokyo and Osaka will be hosting Japan’s own Summer Sonic Festivals. But, that being said, traditional marketing would suggest that they’ll probably announce a few smaller dates, probably around the UK, quite soon. Before embarking on the usual world tour situation… you know the drill. Watch this space.

The 1975 – Part Of The Band. 7 Julyhttps://t.co/tmjlHBzB3r pic.twitter.com/5YvJQ6KSgI

— The 1975 (@the1975) June 13, 2022

In true 1975 spirit, June 1^st continues to be a bit of an in-joke amongst the fandom. After deriving their name from an inscription in a poetry book that read “1st June, The 1975″, June 1^st just seems to be the date where things happen. This time around, the posters started popping up and they also started sharing new images on their socials with the caption “Your new album. Your new era. Your old friends. The 1975”. A handful of other cryptic images and captions later, we come to the present. But still, are we just supposed to believe there’s an album coming in less than a month? The link provided by the band just chucks us into a mailing list… what’s the deal guys?

Your new album. Your new era. Your old friends.
The 1975https://t.co/Tk3FMU5HLb pic.twitter.com/hY5kCLK2e5

— The 1975 (@the1975) June 1, 2022

If we want to go even further down the rabbit hole of random, and borderline pointless, speculation then look no farther than an old post on the band’s Instagram account. Prior to taking on the classic “wipe-your-socials-before-releasing-a-new-album” strategy, one of the final things to make it online was a picture with the caption “B F I A F L”. Interesting. It’s clearly an anagram, and as the band are almost famous for their obnoxiously long song and album titles… it’s probably one of them. So, after a bit of searching, we discovered that it wasn’t actually anything we know so far. Interesting. But once the superfans got involved, it was revealed to the collective consciousness that it (probably) stands for ‘Being Funny In A Funny Language’ – which is a song from the Notes On A Conditional Form sessions that never quite saw the light of day. This doesn’t actually mean very much to us… but at least it’s interesting.

Speculation aside, the trend says that we’ll probably end up having information in a week or so anyway. There’s also not long to go before the band’s live return. So far, they’re only set for 2 appearances at Japan’s Summer Sonic Festival and 1 at Mexico’s Festival Corona Capital. But as the old tale goes, a month of guerrilla marketing and album teases always ends up with an album and a few small, intimate shows to make the occasion, then a full-blown tour. Not long now.