Calum Hood, bassist of the band 5 Seconds of Summer, has officially launched a solo project. The musician put out his first single on April 10 and made quite the impression as a solo artist, with the song having over one million streams on Spotify and the accompanying music video racking up over twenty thousand likes on YouTube. Breaking down both the song and the video, you can see not only Hood’s success in creating a catchy single but also the deeper meanings behind the words and how he truly created an emotional and relatable piece of art.
The Song
The song has a very nostalgic vibe to it, comparable to 80s groups like Tears for Fears and Depeche Mode. However, taking a deeper look into the song, you begin to see the heavier feel of the song behind the catchy melody and indie pop feel. The lyrics of the song seem to tell the story of someone experiencing grief after a difficult breakup. The song moves as though you’re inside the head of the one grieving, reflecting back on the relationship you had and trying to make sense of what it was that went wrong. The chorus uses repetition of the phrase “don’t forget you love me”, as if begging the other person to remember the love they had with hopes that the person still has that love for him. It creates a sense of dwindling hope as one tries to move past the intense emotional drain they are experiencing. The result of both aspects of this song is a catchy tune that makes the listener want to bop their head while also shedding a tear at the raw and reflective words. It almost feels like more than just a breakup song, but rather a whole body, emotional, ballad-like experience.
The Video
The video released along with the single seems to truly help the viewer understand the message being portrayed throughout the song. The camera cuts throughout the video, jumping to different locations, creating a jarring but engaging sight for viewers to tap into. The way that Hood continues to keep his pained and quiet demeanor throughout these cuts to other places and scenes feels as though it’s trying to convey the idea that the world keeps spinning while it might feel like time has stood hauntingly still. We also see that in all of these settings and scenarios, Hood finds himself in throughout the video, he is isolated. From sitting alone in a field at the beginning, to being enclosed in a narrow hallway, Hood is always seen alone with no signs of others around him. The main setting reflects what seems to be a hotel room as Hood is seemingly falling into various stages of grief. We see him lying and shifting around the bed, the room itself begins to tilt as things around him break and fall over and Hood smashing bottles against the wall. All of these aspects help depict the feelings and emotions one might harness while experiencing a breakup, the loneliness, heartache and comprehension of the relationship as a whole, as well as how it ended.
Overall, I feel that the song is beautifully written and executed by Hood, and the production of the video is well thought out, contributing to the message of the song.
“Don’t Forget You Love Me” is one of ten tracks to be featured on Hood’s debut album “ORDER chaos ORDER”, set to release on June 13. Personally, I can’t wait to see where this album takes the listener, because given the first song, I’m already hooked!