The Australian band, 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS), just released their highly anticipated fourth album, ‘CALM’. Without a doubt, it’s safe to say that we are definitely not calm. Back in 2018 when the band’s third album, “Youngblood”, was released, it was evident that the band took a step away from their usual pop-punk roots and went into a direction towards a more polished style. Their first three albums topped the charts worldwide with their emotional filled lyrics and astonishing rock rhythms, this new musical density and electrifying essence will be sure to have “CALM” also achieve the same milestones, if not more.
Consisting of four members; Luke Hemmings (main vocalist and guitarist), Michael Clifford (vocalist and guitarist), Calum Hood (vocalists and bassist), and Ashton Irwin (vocalist and drummer), all members play an essential role throughout the entire album. ‘CALM’ is an acronym of the first letters of each of the members names, which signifies “a nod to our fans that coined us that name in our early days. They’ve been using that acronym for a long time. It kind of just sums up [that] we’re a little bit older and a little bit wiser . . . But it was named before this went down, obviously.” Luke Hemmings said during an interview. The album title can also be linked to the song ‘Old Me’ as it all about 5SOS reminiscing on the “old” versions of themselves and acknowledging the self-growth but also the hardships that they have gone through.
“Red Desert” opens the album with gospel-like vocals from all of the members combined, quickly fading into the solo vocals of Luke Hemmings, having him take over the spotlight. With this song being first in the track list, it’s an exquisite hint as to what the rest of the album will be like and the power that it will hold. Light bass riffs during the first verse, transitioning to an explosion of the drums, gives flashbacks to their older music but in a sophisticated way and makes fans eager to hear the entirety of the album.
The highly anticipated song “Wildflower” was released as a single a few days before the album release, giving fans a reason to be even more excited for ‘CALM’. With the song opening with similar gospel tones like “Red Desert”, we are quickly greeted by an upbeat, groovy melody. When 5SOS announced this song on Twitter, in a tweet they said, “As Wildflower is slowly being released all over the world, man… all we can say is this song is a Frankenstein of everything we love about music, we really hope you dig this one” and expressed that this one is their absolute favorites on the album. Similarly, ‘No Shame’, ‘Thin White Lies’, and ‘Not In The Same Way’ are just a few of many songs that make listeners want to get out of their seats and dance until they cannot anymore.
The lead single ‘Easier’ culls inspiration from Nine Inch Nails’ 1994 track ‘Closer’ with its dark, edgy vibe. Highly similar to ‘Teeth’, both of these tracks have been with fans for some time now, with ‘Easier’ being released almost a year ago, made fans excited and question when the album would actually be coming out. As these songs topped charts and continue doing so, we hope this album gets the recognition that it deserves and has the ability to go #1 even though all promo interviews, performances and events had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Fans quickly raced to Twitter to express their thoughts, feelings, opinions – basically everything that was racing through their minds, mentioned that ‘Best Years’ is definitely one of the superior tracks. It’s all about wanting to give someone the best years of their life, taking care of them and loving them unconditionally. As the chorus goes, “I’ll give you the best years / Past love, burned out like a cigarette / I promise, darling, you won’t regret / The best years”. During an Instagram live listening party, hosted by 5SOS, Calum Hood and Michael Clifford expressed that when this song was created, they imagined it being used as a wedding song – and safe to say, they were not wrong. This track is predicted to be used in many weddings to come, especially since fans were saying that they were thinking the same exact thing.
This album mirrors the amount of effort and dedication that 5SOS put into making this masterpiece. The intense emotion filled lyrics and catchy music met with serene rhythms, is what makes them stand out as musical artists. Owning up to mistakes, recognizing how far they have come, but also discussing heartbreak, love, and complicated relationships, 5 Seconds of Summer takes listeners through a whirlwind of emotions throughout the 12-track album, CALM. It’s evident that their hearts and souls have gone into making this record but it’s also clear that this album will succeed and quickly climb its way up the charts to get the #1 that it, without a doubt, deserves.