Guys (song)

In April 2017, the 1975 announced Music For Cars, the follow-up record to their second studio album, I Like It When You Sleep, for You Are So Beautiful yet So Unaware of It (2016), set to be released in 2018.[2] However, in May 2018, Healy announced that Music For Cars would now represent an "era" composed of two studio albums.[3] The first, A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships (2018), was released in November of the same year.[4] The band recorded the majority of the second album, Notes on a Conditional Form, in 2019 during their Music for Cars Tour, intending to release it in May 2019.[5] Healy deferred the album's release several times, scheduling it for 21 February 2020 and later for 24 April 2020. Regarding the delays, the singer said they were caused by giving interviewers arbitrary release dates.[6] Ultimately, Notes on a Conditional Form was released on 22 May 2020.[7]

"Guys" was one of the last songs created for Notes on a Conditional Form. It was written as a celebration of their years spent together, having formed the band at the age of 13. Healy wanted to write a love song but make it an ode to friendship rather than a romantic story. He noted a perceived lack of platonic love songs dealing with the formative importance of friendships, especially among heterosexual men. Thus, Healy wrote "Guys" as an answer song to "Girls" (2013) from their self-titled debut album (2013), saying he "wanted people to have a love song for their mates."[8] Healy told Zane Lowe of Beats 1 that "Guys" came about "quite easily" owing to the simplicity of the production and emotional lyrics. He made a conscious effort not to make the lyrics ironic or sardonic, choosing instead to embrace sentimentality, allowing himself to feel exposed. Regarding the inspiration behind the song, the singer said it stemmed from conversations the band would have, imagining the difficulties faced by solo artists and sharing their gratefulness for having each other. Healy elaborated further, saying: "[...] we've been a band since we were 13, and they're my best friends. And we've never fallen out. It's a really true song. They're the thing that gives me purpose."[9][1]

"Guys" has a length of four minutes and thirty seconds.[7] Musically, it is a mid-tempo indie rock and pop rock ballad,[10][11] incorporating a stripped-down production consisting of soft guitars and violins.[12][13] Megan Tkacy of Soundigest noted the song featured a subdued, relaxed, and stripped-down composition, omitting the band's characteristic musical elements such as synthesizers, soulful choirs, and production effects.[14] Lyrically, "Guys" is a reflection of the band's journey from teenagers to the present.[15] Healy reminisces on an apartment they rented together, bringing him to tears as he realises his bandmates are the "loves" of his life ("Right then I realized / You're the love of my life"). The singer expresses nostalgia for the band's formative years, wishing to relive the experience: "'Cause we all shared one apartment / Man, they were the golden times / They were the best of my life".[14] In the chorus, Healy sings: "Yeah, the moment that we started a band / Was the best thing that ever happened / And I wish that we could do it again / It was the best thing that ever happened to me".[16] George Cowell of Platform Magazine called it "a grounded, personal and powerful commentary on love",[17] while Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone called it "a love letter to the band's nearly two decades of friendship."[18]

Andrew Sacher of BrooklynVegan said "Guys" was "good stuff" and welcomed a return to the band's "somber, jangly, indie rock side."[10] In her review of the single for Rolling Stone, Spanos called the song "touching" and earnest.[18] Dana Tetenburg of Euphoria said: "[...] in a world with an abundance of songs dedicated to romantic love, a song that acknowledges the love you have for your friends comes as a rather refreshing moment."[19] The Edge critic Alice Fortt gave the song 3 out of 5 stars, complimenting the intimate and personal lyrics, and deemed it straightforward but genuine.[20] Tkacy of Soundigest praised the placement of "Guys" as the album's closing track and said it was "soulful, heartfelt and sure to stay in your head."[14] Stereogum contributor Ryan Leas said "Guys" was characteristically "1975-esque". He noted that unlike many of the band's other songs, it did not require listeners to search for a deeper meaning, saying the track was "just a great, earnest song that's likely to make you reflect on your own friendships".[21]

Dan Stubbs of NME called "Guys" sweet and sentimental.[22] Consequence of Sound writer Samantha Small said the song would be a "live-show winner" and wrote it was "easy to imagine fans swaying and repeating the endearing lines."[23] Ian Gormely of Exclaim! opined: "The track pines for the simplicity of the group's earliest days, mates playing music for the love of it and one another".[24] In his review of Notes on a Conditional Form for Pitchfork, Sam Sodomsky declared "Guys" the most romantic song on the album, deeming it as "an unlikely ode to consistency from a songwriter who has spent his career at war with this very notion."[25] Lindsay Zoladz of The New York Times said the track was an example of the parent album's overarching desire to return to youthfulness, innocence, and privacy. She called "Guys" a "sweetly sad song about yearning to get back to the garden, or maybe just the garage."[26] Variety contributor Chris Willman said the song was unpretentious, a contrast with Notes on a Conditional Form opener "The 1975" (2019), which he deemed portentous.[27]

Prior to its release, the 1975 debuted "Guys" in Nottingham, England, on 15 February 2020, the opening night of their Music for Cars Tour in the UK. The band performed the song in front of archival footage displaying clips from their youth and formative years together.[28] A music video for "Guys" was released on 21 May 2020. It features a compilation of video clips of the 1975 captured over the past decade. The footage shows the band on tour, recording music, and behind-the-scenes on magazine shoots. The Dork editorial staff called it "a heartfelt trip down memory lane from a band who've gone from early days playing pub backrooms to standing as one of the biggest on the planet."[29][30]

Credits adapted from Notes on a Conditional Form album liner notes.[31]

• Mike Crossey – mixing
• George Daniel – composer, producer, background vocals, drums, synthesizer
• Jonathan Gilmore – producer, recording engineer
• Adam Hann – composer, guitar
• Matthew Healy – composer, producer, vocals, guitar
• Ross MacDonald – composer, bass
• Robin Schmidt – mastering engineer, mastering engineer

• "Guys" – Official Audio on YouTube