It's Not Living (If It's Not with You)

"It's Not Living (If It's Not with You)" was teased almost a year before the song's release, Matthew Healy, the lead vocalist of the band, having posted an image on Twitter of a file of the song with the caption “MFC”, the initials of the band's era named "Music for Cars", which comprises the two albums A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships and Notes on a Conditional Form.[6]

In 2017, Matthew Healy, the lead vocalist of the band, was admitted into a rehabilitation center in Barbados to treat an on-and-off four-year addiction to heroin and benzodiazepines. Healy told The New York Times that he was lucky that his addiction didn't spiral out of control, adding that "I scared the [expletive] out of everybody that I love, and that was enough for me." He explained that he wrote the song and the other tracks from the album discussing his addiction so soon after being discharged from rehab because "I'm not going to talk about it for long."[7]

“It's Not Living (If It's Not with You)” is a Britpop song which features synthesizers and guitars and a choir backing Healy's vocals.[1] Chloe Gilke of Uproxx described the track as "classic 1975, all high-energy synths and high-drama lovesickness."[8] Sasha Geffen, writing for Pitchfork, noted that the song "furthers their knack for saying one thing and meaning another, pairing dark lyrics with bright funk guitars, chirping synths, and a rousingly upbeat chorus."[9]

In an interview with Billboard, Healy labelled the track “the big heroin one.”[10] Prior to the song's release on Annie Mac's BBC Radio 1 show, he described the song as "the 1975-iest 1975 song since the 1975 debut record."[1] In an interview with Pitchfork, Healy explained that the song followed the story of character named "Danny" rather than that of himself because he "didn't want to talk about being a heroin addict for five years—having actual nightmares of the idea of it being uncovered. So there was a humorous reluctance to disclose it in this song."[11] The song discusses the use of drugs to cope with the end of a relationship,[12] but also explores other themes including the dystopian idea that we are living in a simulated reality.[13]

"It's Not Living (If It's Not with You)" garnered positive reviews from music critics. Sasha Geffen of Pitchfork commended the track's production, noting that it tied in with "one of recovery's ironies: You use to stop feeling alone, but so does everyone else who uses. Eventually, if you're lucky, you find each other and can be alone together until you're not" and compared its chorus to Belinda Carlisle's "Heaven Is a Place on Earth".[9] MusicOMH's Ross Horton deemed the song the best off the album, comparing it to "a couple of teenagers falling in love over a summer in Malibu in 1986."[14] Dan Stubbs of NME called the song "funny, clever and refreshingly honest" while Consequence of Sound noted that Healy succeeded in talking about his drug addiction without "glorifying it or sounding like a PSA."[15][16]

The music video for “It's Not Living (If It's Not with You)” was directed by Warren Fu, who had previously directed the music video for "Sincerity Is Scary". It was premiered on The 1975's YouTube channel on 3 December 2018. It is mainly inspired by the Talking Heads' concert film Stop Making Sense, but also has themes found in the TV series Black Mirror.[21]

Healy has stated that 1975's performance in the music video was largely inspired by the Talking Heads' concert film Stop Making Sense[22]

The video begins with Healy getting out of bed in a dark room with numerous alarm by his bedside. He goes to the mirror and switches the tap on. His reflection then clears his its throat and he promptly screams. Healy then wakes up again, this time on a sofa in a brighter room. Adam Hann, the band's lead guitarist, calls Healy, saying "Come on, mate. Let's do it". Healy gets up but knocks a table, causing a glass to fall onto the floor and break. He goes on stage and the band start's playing "It's Not Living (If It's Not with You)" in a performance similar to the Talking Heads' concert film Stop Making Sense, adopting its choreography and costumes. However, on stage, he sees one of his backing dancers duplicate. Confused, he shakes his head and rubs his eyes. As the song's chorus begins, he turns to his band-mates but sees that time has slowed down. He tries to start singing but discovers that his mouth has disappeared. He runs off stage and looks into the mirror, only to see his mouth back on his face. He returns on stage. but as the chorus recommences, he discovers that his legs are on fire. He jumps off stage, falling into water. He reemerges from the water soaked. He begins to go back on stage but discovers that a copy of himself has taken over the performance. The clone blows him a kiss and Healy leaves the concert hall.

As he goes outside, he finds himself in the clothes he wore in the music video of "Sincerity Is Scary". He then sees another duplicate of himself being filmed for the music video. Healy then goes back into the concert hall in his original clothes. The door leads directly to the stage where the band and dancers are still performing the song, this time without any music. The music recommences as he starts singing, but as the chorus begins he starts sinking into the floor. Another duplicate of himself is seen hanging from a rope from the stage's ceiling. Healy then stretches his arm and pulls the rope. The clone starts to fall but then Healy suddenly wakes up again in the bright room. Hann calls him again and Healy gets up from the sofa. He knocks a table again but the glass does not fall immediately, instead rolling near the edge of the table. Healy walks on stage as the glass falls to the floor and smashes. Healy is seen performing the song as the credits roll.[23][24]