‘I Think There’s Something You Should Know’ from The 1975’s new album, ‘Notes On A Conditional Form’. Out now - the1975.lnk.to/noacf

The 1975 and Ben Ditto have curated an online exhibition of 15 artists responding to tracks from ‘NOACF’.
08 Alice Bucknell responds to ‘I Think There’s Something You Should Know’

“I wanted to play around with this idea of the secret, as referenced by the title, and the feeling of suspense that the track produces, scaling both up to a world-making capacity,” explains artist and writer Alice Bucknell. “Some of the album’s themes include technology, anxiety and ecological destruction, and I was thinking about these within the framework of an architectural utopia. The overarching idea, or set of ideas really, framing this project was an interest in technological utopias and the inevitable failure of these ambitions.”
Her film flies us to a ringed planet on which she’s constructed 3D models of three sci-fi cities, one for each of the song’s different sections: the first is a postmodern seastead that brings to mind the Las Vegas Strip. The second, and most contemporary, is a high-tech wellness metropolis which mixes Tokyo signage, SoulCycle classes and tropical foliage; “Decked out in neon lights and synthetic palm trees,” says Bucknell, “it’s the unfortunate byproduct of some Instagram algorithm, like Blade Runner meets Miami Beach.” The third, in which ‘I Think There’s Something You Should Know’ reaches its euphoric climax, is a glowing pioneer town out in the desert. All are rendered in a neon club aesthetic that matches the track’s up-tempo house feel and crisp, spacious production.
“What drew me to this track in particular,” says Bucknell, “is the loosening of what’s perceived as truth, or reality, through the forces of fantasy and desire. That’s what led me to thinking about this planet as a sort of glitch or technological error that ultimately deletes itself at the end of the video.”
In the last few frames the planet glitches then disappears. It leaves us wondering: Were these cities just mirages? Are utopias even possible, in the real or virtual worlds, or will they always conceal a hidden darkness?

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