The 1975 share new song featuring climate activist Greta Thurnberg

English rockers The 1975 have just dropped their latest self-titled song, featuring vocal contributions from climate change activist Greta Thurnberg.

Early next year, The 1975 are set to release their highly-anticipated fourth album, Notes On A Conditional Form. The second record in their ‘Music For Cars’ release cycle, and their first since 2018’s A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships, fans are getting excited to finally hear the new release.

Earlier today though, the group gave their fans an indicator of what to expect, dropping the record’s opening track, which is titled after the band themselves, as per tradition.

However, the tune isn’t exactly what fans would expect. Rather than featuring the soulful vocals of Matty Healy, the track is a minimal one, featuring soft piano melodies and a sample of a 2018 speech from Swedish climate change activist Greta Thurnberg.

Famed for her protests against climate change, the sample comes from Thurnberg’s famous “Our House Is On Fire” speech, and sees the young activist’s words being used as a call to action on the record’s opening track.

“We are right now in the beginning of a climate and ecological crisis, and we need to call it what it is—an emergency,” Thurnberg’s speech begins, before requesting immediate action to help save the Earth while we still can.

“We can no longer save the world by playing by the rules, because the rules have to be changed—everything needs to change, and it has to start today.

“So, everyone out there, it is now time for civil disobedience. It is time to rebel.”

While the tune is undoubtedly a little bit different to what fans of The 1975 might be expecting, its poignant political nature undoubtedly paints a picture of how the rest of the record is shaping up to sound.

In related news, The 1975 are set to make their return to Australia this year when they bring their A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships tour to local shores for a series of high-profile dates. At this stage, there’s no word if they’ll release more music before they visit us once again, but only time will tell.