He also showed off a folder of new demos and (what appears to be) the script for a TV pilot.
The 1975 frontman Matty Healy has returned to social media, teasing the potential of a new album and showing off that he’s been mighty busy whipping up demos.
In an Instagram Story he posted on Wednesday (December 27), Healy shared a meme of Glee icon Sue Sylvester (played on the show by Jane Lynch) edited to read, “I am going to create an album that is so good”. Healy accompanied the meme with the declaration that he’s “feelin’ it”, before giving fans a sneak-peek at a folder of demos on his phone.
In a screen-recorded video, he scrolled through dozens of audio files – most given inconspicuous names like ‘guitar riff idea’ and ‘nice riff for sample’, but some seemingly given song names. Among those with proper working titles are Victim, Eye Sore, This Love and She Does The Dishes Whilst I’ve Never Been Happier.
One standout inclusion, too, is a PDF file for what appears to be the script for a TV pilot, saved in Healy’s phone as ‘untitled mh project A STORY DRAFT’. Zooming in on the file itself, the pilot appears to be titled Cancelled and has been written by standup comedian Nick Mullen (who Healy is no stranger to, having controversially appeared on Mullen’s podcast The Adam Friedland Show earlier this year).
Speaking of controversies, Healy has racked up quite a few over the span of 2023. At the start of the year, he was accused of making a Nazi salute during a 1975 concert; he later started beef with Noel Gallagher, and caught the ire of Rina Sawayama (who is signed to Healy’s partly-owned label Dirty Hit).
In July, The 1975 were briefly imprisoned in Malaysia after Healy and bassist Ross MacDonald kissed onstage to protest the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws. The band were later hit with legal charges, and the Malaysian government vowed to tighten entry requirements for international artists in direct response to the incident.
Addressing some of the controversies at a concert, Healy said: “I really am only doing this because I want to make you guys laugh and feel good. That's what my favourite art does, and that's what I'm trying to do. I get a bit excited.”
The 1975 toured Australia throughout April of this year. Reviewing the Perth show, Sam Mead wrote: “The night was everything you’d expect from a 1975 concert: controversy, banter, sex (the song), drugs, and rock and roll. And, of course, Matty Healy nursing a glass of wine and a ciggy. With a hefty run time of [one hour and 45 minutes], there was a lot to play with here, but every moment felt purposeful and warranted. This really is The 1975 at their very best.”
As for their upcoming endeavours, February will see The 1975 road-test a world-first “carbon removed” concert in London. After that, the band will reportedly go on an “indefinite hiatus” from touring.