Released on March 27, 2020, C A L M is the fourth studio album by 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) which the title is an acronym for the band members’ first letters: bassist Calum Hood, drummer Ashton Irwin, vocalist Luke Hemmings, and guitarist Michael Clifford. The said album earned the band’s fourth consecutive “number one album” on the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) albums chart.

After experimenting with a new sound with Youngblood, 5SOS’ third studio album, C A L M delves deep into industrial music inspiration and establishes a rhythm side in the production for the album. It is released under Interscope Records and co-produced by American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth, frequent collaborator Andrew Watt, and American musician Benny Blanco among others.

“C A L M speaks on a journey through a young man’s life, for better or for worse. We are all human and all make mistakes. Sometimes we hurt the ones we love and inevitably, ourselves in the process,” Hemming stated in an interview with Alternative Press.

5SOS has fully embraced the departure from the boy band persona as they matured both lyrically and musically.

Towards a new era

The reinvention of the band begins with the album’s first single, “Easier,” which was released on May 23, 2019. The song was co-produced by Puth and features synthpop-heavy elements. Meanwhile, its alternative version “Easier – Live from the Vault” on YouTube leaned towards rock. With the lyrics, “Is it easier to stay? Is it easier to go?I don’t wanna know, oh. But I know that I’m never, ever gonna change and you know you don’t want it any other way,” the song questions on what is easier—the need to stay or leave a toxic relationship.

Venturing on the industrial pop is the single “Teeth,” which was featured on the third season soundtrack of the Netflix series “13 Reasons Why.” The song gives a strong vocal performance from Hemmings and again, a bassline that slaps. “Fight so dirty, but your love is so sweet. Talk so pretty, but your heart got teeth,” 5SOS gives the chills with every lyric in this song. It features heightened emotions being in a rocky relationship.

“No Shame” represents an honest depiction of society’s infatuation with fame and attention on social media and real life. “I only light up when cameras are flashin’, never enough and no satisfaction, got no shame,” the song’s music video also explores 5SOS taking different personas and dealing with fame, attention, and the public eye.

Probably the most nostalgic track off the album is “Old Me.” The song is clearly a powerful statement on carrying one’s youth. The band has gone through a great deal since they’ve had their musical careers in their teenage years. “Shout out to the old me and everything you showed me, glad you didn’t listen when the world was trying to slow me,” its lyrics make us ponder on our past and strive to be better human beings.

One that can be dubbed as a soundtrack of the summer, “Wildflower” is an 80s-pop inspired psychedelic single which features Hood as the lead vocals. “I hear you callin’ out my name, I love the sound, I love the taste. And I can see it in your face, you’ve got a side you can’t explain.” The bop track of the album is something you wanna listen to while driving under the sun.

Supplementary recommendations

• The opening track, “Red Desert,” encapsulates the band’s growth vocally. With powerful harmonies and a slapping bassline from Hood gives birth to the new era 5SOS is embarking on. What a way to kick off the album.

• “Best Years” is perfect for starting anew with someone and letting go of past trauma, mistakes, and the pain of yesterday. It’s not too late to improve your life when you meet someone special again.

• “Lover of Mine” is co-written by Hemmings and girlfriend Sierra Deaton. This is a great dedication for that significant other who has made your life better, easier, and brighter.

• “Lonely Heart” may have the world “lonely” in the title but the song is catchy, upbeat, and a testament for second chances.

• A bonus track, not yet featured on the album’s standard edition, “Kill My Time” should definitely be released as a single. The song features an electronic production which is somehow similar to “Easier” but lyrically better.

Overall, 5SOS has embodied themselves in the album with tracks about being stuck in a tough situation but eventually conquering it. The album shows the band’s evolution from being pictured as a rock boy band into exploring different genres and taking new directions.

Rating: 4/5