5 Seconds Of Summer: CALM Album review

5 Seconds Of Summer is the Australian pop punk band that has matured their music throughout the years and on their fourth studio album their growth as artists has truly shown. The band consists of Calum Hood (bassist and vocalist), Ashton Irwin (drummer and vocalist), Luke Hemmings (rhythmic guitarist and lead vocalist), and Michael Clifford (lead guitarist and vocalist). The name of their fourth album, CALM, is representative of the initials of their names C for Calum, A for Ashton, L for Luke and M for Michael. After the release of their hit album Youngblood, with over 1 billion streams, they knew they had to keep that energy going into their next album. CALM has sparked an entirely new era for the boys, and I’m here for it.

The album opens up with an energy-driven rock anthem "Red Dessert." The song is an ode to their roots and where they come from, Australia after all the horrible wildfires the continent was enduring. The song itself has an electric baseline that carries the song and performs well as to what the entirety of their new sound and album consist of. With the chanting and the chorus of the track it shows similarity to the track "Lonely Heart" which is also a song that stands out for that and beautifully leads into the vocals of Calum Hood.

The track and third single, "No Shame" speaks volumes in criticizing modern society regarding social media, beauty standards, and chasing fame. The song opens up with a guitar riff from lead guitarist Michael Clifford that carries throughout the song. The lyric of the chorus “I only light up when cameras are flashing” is in reference to the fake tendencies of Hollywood and how celebrities will fake a smile for the paparazzi and cameras regardless of their true emotions to avoid further questioning. Their music video for the single portrays the way celebrities will fake many things in life like a death to see people’s reaction, get plastic surgery to fit in, and caring about posting on social media in tragic events rather than be sincere about the situations.

The rest of the singles of the album stand out from being on top 10 radio hits. Drummer, Ashton Irwin and guitarist, Michael Clifford are showcased in these energy driven singles with heavy drums and guitar riffs. "Old Me" is the reflection of their past and the way they have matured through their career from being four boys from Australia to teens and now adults touring all around the world. It also reflects on past mistakes they have made in their lives with a catchy chorus that is enjoyable, especially with the fun music video they made. "Teeth" was a song on the soundtrack for the Netflix Series 13 Reasons Why on the third season of the show. It has a heavy bass and guitar sound with pulsing drums and with Luke Hemmings vocals creating a dark pop rock anthem. "Easier" was co-written with Charlie Puth and went double platinum upon its release back in May 2019. The song was a tremendous success and its lyrics are relatable about love, hate, relationships, and hesitation.

The song that truly stood out of the album is "Wildflower." It has a catchy chorus and is far from their heavy bass line tracks. The song is so fun and upbeat and lead bassist Calum Hood takes the lead vocals for the song which compliments his voice so well. The music video that they made for the track "Wildflower" was made in quarantine and was extremely visually pleasing, earning the song music video nominations. The track "Not In The Same Way" also carries that fun, upbeat melody with the vocals of Luke Hemmings. The lyrics “Don’t know if I love you. Don’t know if I hate you” caries along with the theme of a love hate relationship and creates an unapologetic pop track. Along with "Wildflower," this track stands out and is a personal favorite of mine.

The last few songs of the album showcase the emotional side of the bands touching side of songwriting. "Best Years" is the beautiful ballad of the album about wanting a future with someone and promising to give them the best years filled with love and joy. It's the perfect wedding song and is a song to make you bawl your eyes out. "Lover of Mine" is co-written by Sierra Deaton, girlfriend of lead vocalist Luke Hemmings and winner of X-Factor, and has a dark acoustic sound about not letting someone go and recreating past mistakes.

Finishing the album on a high note, the track "High" is a beautiful, fragile ballad with soft vocals of Luke Hemmings. The track is about reflecting on a past relationship and hoping that your ex-partner thinks of you highly. It is completely contrasted from the opening of the album with energy driven ‘Red desert’ but is a beautiful way to close the album. It has a vulnerability, but adds clarity and conclusion to a relationship.

Overall, the album CALM has shown the maturity of the boys lyrically from their previous albums. It has both rock anthems and vulnerable ballads. Each song on the album shines in its own beautiful way, and there isn’t a single bad song on the album. The perfect pop album showcases the band’s impressive range. It’s definitely worth a listen and I give it an A.