Healy’s indication towards his other music guise was displayed through social media. The Chocolate singer set up a brand new Instagram account for Drive Like I Do, a move executed by artists who wish to tease fans with the idea of new music. Healy took to his official Instagram, which is posed under the moniker Truman Black, to share a throwback photo of the band, which again is a homage towards Drive Like I Do. 

The Mancunian born artist posted a photograph of himself rocking out fifteen years ago, which received over 149,000 likes from devoted fans. Healy wrote the caption: “Drive Like I Do – Live in Newcastle 2005”. When one devoted fan commented: “we want a new DLID record”, the Girls hitmaker simply responded “ok”. 

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A post shared by MATTYAmnesty Uk – DH00280 (@trumanblack)

Following this interaction, Healy sent the link to the fan leading to a brand new Instagram page dedicated to Drive Like I Do.  The new account has two photos only – some vintage looking snaps of a backyard basketball hoop, and an action shot of a football match.

The first post was captioned with an ambiguous caption: “That Wasn’t Even The Craziest Thing That Went Down”, which could possibly be a title of some new Drive Like I Do material. Already, the mysterious account has obtained over 13,000 followers. 

 

 

 

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Earlier this year, Healy spoke on evolving the sound of Drive Like I Do. The 1975 frontman revealed that he was working on remastering some old Drive Like I Do songs. Healy said: “I’m getting the old stuff remastered and I’m basically going to put out the first album, the album that never was released.”

When speaking on rejuvenating his old band, Healy confirmed that “We will follow that up with a new album. There’s so much Drive Like I Do stuff that was great that there’s not even demos of, so I’m going to record those songs and put them out with the two records that do kind of technically exist in the world.” 

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Healy also spoke out on his decision to quit social media, saying it has made him a “much better person”. Healy elaborated on the pressures of social media, saying: “It’s such a weird paradox. Sometimes I get it right but sometimes I look like a t*** and that makes my work worse. I found myself asking myself ‘for what?’ some attention in the moment? A short cut towards feeling good about myself?”

The latest album from The 1975 is Notes On A Conditional Form, the fourth studio album from the indie-pop band. The 1975 released the critically acclaimed album on May 22nd. Notes On A Conditional Form features songs such as The Birthday Party, Yeah I Know, Streaming and Roadkill.

A socially distanced performance, Healy played an acoustic reworking of the cherished track from his home. This offering comes as a lovely surprise from The 1975 frontman Healy, who has been noticeably absent from the public eye in recent months.

Taking to social media last night, Healy announced his virtual homecoming by posting his Be My Mistake cover to Instagram. Dressed in a shirt and tie, Healy takes a quick puff from his cigarette before starting the cover. The beautiful acoustic cover to Be My Mistake can be watched in full below.

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A post shared by MATTY THE 1975 DIRTY HIT (@trumanblack) on Oct 5, 2020 at 3:13pm PDT

Fans were clearly delighted at this surprise share, as the post has received over 280,000 likes since last night. Numerous fans left encouraging comments on the post, one fan writing “Hope you are doing okay Matty, we love you.”

From the moment he plucks the song’s opening notes, the emotivity of Healy’s cover is unignorable. With a soft, delicate voice, Healy sings the emotional song’s opening verse: “Be my mistake/Turn out the light/She bought me those jeans/The ones that you like”

As the Chocolate singer continues on, the stripped-back performance enhances the poignancy of the already solemn song. After the cover concludes, Healy ends the post with a wave to his worldwide fanbase, to the camera, saying bashfully  “Hello, miss you, love you.”

This fresh Be My Mistake cover follows Healy taking part in Season 2 of Art Zoom. Curated by Google Arts & Culture, Art Zoom is a new web series where artists offer a narrative on some of the world’s finest pieces of artwork. 

Healy dissects the work of Dutch painter Piet Mondarian in his episode of Art Zoom, which gathered over 89,000 views on Youtube. The singer-songwriter meditated upon Mondarian’s supreme composition, saying “This painting is a pure idea, an infinite portal.” The singer also spoke on how Mondarian influenced his own work during the episode, which can be watched in full here.

In other news, two tracks from The 1975’s old band, Drive Like I Do, appeared on streaming services on October 4th. Released under the Scary Monster EP, the two songs are entitled Wolves and Scary Monsters. 

Healy chatted to NME about getting the tracks reworked, stating “I’m getting the old stuff remastered and I’m basically going to put out the first album, the album that never was released.”  Healy also confirmed back in May that “we’ll follow that up with a new album. There’s so much Drive Like I Do stuff that was great that there’s not even demos of, so I’m going to record those songs and put them out with the two records that do kind of technically exist in the world.”

The most recent album from The 1975 is Notes On A Conditional Form. Released on May 22nd, Notes On A Conditional Form contains songs like Roadkill, Then Because She Goes and The Birthday Party. Described by NME as “a bold, brave move”, Notes On A Conditional Form is a defiant sonic departure from The 1975s’ previous work.

The 1975 posted a short clip from Don’t Worry on social media to relay the news of the music video’s drop to a whopping 2 million followers. Posted on the 7th July 2020 to Instagram, the content was met with over 125,000 likes and views in just 24 hours, receiving an overwhelmingly positive response from the band’s giant fanbase. 

Dreamy and romantic, Don’t Worry is a ballad that is as warmly reassuring as its apt title. Frontman Matty Healy’s delicate, layered vocals soothe you: “When you feel no one knows just what you’re going through/When your insides feel much colder than snow/Don’t worry, darlin’/’Cause I’m here with you”, whilst the stripped back, but powerful piano moves you. Don’t Worry’s empathetic lyrics certainly strike a chord with anyone who has felt unconditional love for another, giving the song relatability and depth. 

With similar visual stylings to The 1975’s previously released songs, Yeah I Know and The Birthday Party, also directed by Ditto, the video is a CGI-charged dreamlike sequence. Sweet and simple, the music video is the perfect visual complement to its sonic counterpart Don’t Worry. 

Beginning with a beautiful, isolated piano intro not dissimilar to a film score, the first rear shot displays a lonely, animated man. The camera steadily zooms out and displays a high definition, Utopianistic world. Rife with greenery, solar panels and windmills, the CGI world is a vision of sustainability. The shot follows the lone walker strolling through pristine HD surroundings, until the camera rests on a dancing woman, as seen through her window.

Following the main character’s vision, Healy’s intricate harmonies swell with synth-tinged wisps, complementing the on-screen action brilliantly. The viewer is drawn into this bright, animatronic world, and goes willingly. By the end of the video, we are completely invested and when the two animations acknowledge each other and smile, the video is ended on an endearing note, much like the song itself.

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// D O N T W O R R Y // @ben_ditto #rindonjohnson L O V E

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Released on the 22nd May, Notes on a Conditional Form is an eclectic twenty-two track record. Described by NME as “the sound of a band with no sonic boundaries”, The 1975’s non-committal to one specific genre comes at no surprise. 

Following the release of Notes… The 1975 were previously scheduled to perform their new album on 11th June 2020 at London’s Finsbury Park music event. With a revised date due to the coronavirus pandemic, the show will now take place on the 10th of July, 2021. Supporting acts originally announced for the event include Charlie XCX and Phoebe Bridgers, but whether they’ll return for the 2021 installment remains to be seen. Nevertheless, indie music lovers everywhere have something else on the horizon to look forward to. 

Notes on a Conditional Form is out now.