TooTimeTooTimeTooTime

In an interview on BBC Radio 1, Healy told Annie Mac's The Hottest Record in the World that "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime" originated accidentally while the singer was recording with his personal friend and label mate No Rome on their single, "Narcissist". The pair were working on the song's production when, according to Healy: "[...] something went wrong. It just started looping too fast and the beat in 2 time just kind of appeared. And then we just made that."[1] Having developed a skeletal, reggaeton-influenced song structure, Healy began to work on writing "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime". The singer told Sam Sodomsky of Pitchfork that he set out to celebrate his musically varied discography in a simple pop song, which he admitted felt counterintuitive.[2] Eventually, Healy decided to make a song that unapologetically reflected his fondness for pop music, noting that it didn't "negate [his] intellect or integrity", telling Sodomsky: "the song just wouldn’t work if I was trying to be verbose. It wouldn’t resonate. It also wouldn’t be fun, because that’s gotta be what music’s about at some point."[2]

In his interview with Mac, Healy admitted "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime" was not completely autobiographical, saying he is "a monogamous dude... like massively."[1] Speaking on the tracks social commentary, he said: "negotiating these things that are like relationships in a world that’s constructed on so many things that just aren’t, in the way that Instagram or Twitter or whatever, can get into the nooks and crannies of one’s real relationships. I don’t think you have to be monogamous or not to know how that feels. And [there’s] almost like a frivolity to it, which I sort of like, because I don’t do frivolity very often. I’m always quite like— I wanna say something and when you do say something it’s just fun man."[1]

Musically, "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime" is an electropop and synth-pop song,[3][4][5] with a length of three minutes and twenty-seven seconds.[6][7][8] The song is written in the key of Ab major and follows a moderate tempo of 116 beats per minute in common time. Healy's vocal range spans from E♭₄ to E♭₅.[9] "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime" contains a unique song structure that subverts the common "loud-quiet verse-chorus" format and instead gradually builds in intensity as it progresses. Pyror Stroud of PopMatters noted the song utilizes a "sheer, implacable momentum" that "builds and builds, then builds even more, culminating in a climax that is the closest the band has come to pure pop perfection".[10] The track is built around a "soft, but insistent" four-on-the-floor tropical house beat,[11][5][12] "upbeat" Afropop percussion,[13] and elements from a variety of genres including house music,[14] Afrobeats,[15] indietronica,[16] disco, piano house, dancehall, bubblegum pop, electronic music and Europop.[10][17][18] The "breezy, melodic" production of "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime" is composed of a steady kick drum pulse,[13][19] "fuzzy" synth textures,[11] electronic flourishes,[18] "chart-ready" piano stabs,[20] funky electric guitar lines, pitch-shifted vocal samples, and watery synth chords.[19]

Thematically, "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime" explores how social media and the larger online world can affect modern-day relationships. The song expands upon A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships central theme of communication in the digital age.[11] In the chorus, Healy attempts to recount the number of times he has called a certain woman ("I only called her one time / Maybe it was two times? / I don't think it was three times / It can't be more than four times"), before accusing his partner of doing the same ("I think we need to rewind / You text that boy sometimes / Must be more than three times"). According to Rolling Stone writer Ryan Reed, the track discusses "how social media fuels jealous head games and romantic angst" through suspicious text messages, missed phone calls, and Instagram interactions.[19] Tina Timmerberg of Radio.com viewed the core thematic story behind "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime" as a tale of love and desperation,[3] a sentiment shared by Billboard writer Chris Payne, who wrote that the song: "references frontman Matty Healy’s lyrics, which capture his side of a back-and-forth with a romantic partner [...] Both parties appear to be getting into the same kind of mischief."[4]

MusicOMH writer Ross Horton compared "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime" to "tropical house run through Brian Eno’s processors".[21] Jordan Sargent of Spin said the song "bends even further back towards the unnaturally gleaming, synthetic concoctions of European balearic dance music and dancehall".[22] He also noted similarities between "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime" and the mid-tempo dancehall songs "Controlla" (2016) and "Signs" (2017) by Canadian musician Drake, along with the Felix Jaehn remix of "Cheerleader" by Jamaican singer Omi.[22] Outlet Magazine writer Clair L. Smith felt the song was "well fitting to [The 1975's] usual indie-pop take on 80’s synth with electro notes bouncing through the melody".[23] Pyrour Stroud of Slant felt the track was a reflection of modern infidelity, saying it's "about how we self-medicate in a world of such stark superficiality that nothing seems to matter".[24] Spin writer Ian Cohen echoed Stroud's evaluation, calling "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime" a deconstruction of Instagram-era infidelity.[25] Juan Edgardo Rodriguez of No Ripcord opined that the track: "looks into how the digital era broadens the gray areas when it comes to emotional affairs with an almost matter-of-fact indifference."[26]

Several critics drew comparisons between "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime" and the work of Canadian musician Drake.

In her review of the single, Julianna Ress of The Ringer praised the song for balancing sonic experimentation with a continued narrative focus on the impact the online world has on relationships. Ress complimented the tracks "upbeat" groove and lyrical exploration of anxiety, calling it the "breeziest and most radio-friendly" single released from A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, while comparing it to Drake's "Passionfruit" (2017).[27] In his review of "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime" for Spin, Sargent felt the track represented a "very comfortable" midpoint between the bands penchant for musical experimentation and contemporary pop music, calling it: "their new album's clearest mission statement yet".[22] Stereogum writer Ryan Leas complimented "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime" for successfully infusing contemporary pop music trends into the groups signature sound, and opined that the song "uses texting and hints of infidelity and jealousy to create an infectious, number-based hook".[14] In his review of the single, Dan Stubbs of NME proclaimed he would "play ['TooTimeTooTimeTooTime'] to death". Stubbs highlighted the song's myriad of musical elements, and noted that while the lyrics were not as complex in comparison to previous single "Love It If We Made It" (2018), they represented Healy's writing style: "knowing, insecure, romantic, flawed, and cocky at the same time."[18]

In her review of A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, The Ringer writer Lindsay Zoladz acclaimed "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime", saying Healy was "able to capture, so pithily, the surreal links between body and machine, technology and emotion, that now dictate ordinary life." Zoladz went on to call the line "She said that I should have liked it / I said that I only use it sometimes", which references "liking" an Instagram post, one of her all-time favourite Healy lyrics.[28] Shannon Cotton of Gigwise also highlighted the same line as Zoladz, viewing it as a reference to the "Instagram generation" where "friendships are determined by who’s liked your latest pre-night out mirror selfie rather than anything substantial or tangible."[29] DIY magazine writer Will Richards praised the "catchiness" of the chorus and "deliberately vacuous" lyrics, saying: "The 1975 understand the power of letting [everything] go for three-and-a-half minutes via a pop song - and on the face of it, a very silly pop song - that makes you feel on top of the fucking world."[20]

In a more mixed review, Jack Rubenstein of The Chronicle complimented "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime" for being "aggressively catchy", but felt the song "nearly veer[s] towards grating".[30] In his review of the parent album, Uproxx writer Larry Fitzmaurice said the song "represented something of a global-pop breakthrough for the band, a delicious Afro-pop-inspired synth loop accompanying Healy’s musings on faithfulness in the age of Facetime."[31] PopMatters placed "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime" at number 16 on their "60 Best Songs of 2018" list, with Pryor Stroud writing: "Call it what you want — bubblegum confection, Balearic sugar rush, electropop earworm — the 1975's 'TooTimeTooTimeTooTime' is a blast. It's fun, plain and simple, like cotton candy or a cannonball into a pool."[10] Livia Homerski of Edinboronow praised the song's "catchy" chorus and called it a "pop banger".[32] Under the Radar reviewer Conrad Duncan highlighted "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime" as an example of the album's "countless moments of inventive vision", saying it "jettisons the band's usual verbosity for a sharp pop crossover."[33]

In July 2018, The 1975 invited fans to apply to be featured in an upcoming music video being filmed in London.[34] On 22 July 2018, Healy tweeted: "I just spent the whole day shooting a video with our fans and I just want to say that I couldn’t be more proud. You are all so weird and beautiful. It was one of the best days of my life, thank you".[35] A vertically-oriented music video for "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime" debuted on Spotify on 15 August 2018. On 29 August 2018, the fullscreen version was released on the group's YouTube. The video opens with individual fans calmly lip synching the song's lyrics against a colour-changing backdrop. Healy, dressed in an all-black tuxedo with blonde hair, gradually joins some of the fans as the video progresses and the dancing becomes more eccentric. Towards the end of the video, Healy and the fans gather together and frantically dance as a group.[35][34][36][37]

Antonio Harris of Sound Digest opined that the music video for "TooTimeTooTimeTooTime" suited the song's technology-themed lyrics, saying: "The song is all about communications among the online age, and The 1975’s fan base represents this perfectly."[35] Billboard contributor Alessandra Rincón praised the "colorful" visuals of the video.[6] In her review of the video for Nylon, Taylor Bryant wrote: "[...] it’s easy to forget how charming music videos can be when they just show people hanging out, having a good time, and enjoying being alive. Well, The 1975 is here to remind you."[36] Wandera Hussein of The Fader complimented the "cutesy" video.[37] Stereogum writer Tom Breihan said the enjoyment of the video "depends entirely on whether or not you find Healy charming", adding: "You will not be shocked to discover that I like the video. It has energy and brightness, it’s fun to watch, and it executes the all-important task of making [the viewer] like the song more."[38]