By Shayla Parker, Arts Editor/Digital Editor
As measures being enforced to flatten COVID-19’s contraction curve escalate, many people across the globe have turned to music in an effort to cope with their self-isolation. 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS)’s fourth studio album “C A L M” was released March 27. Because of the album’s timing, the Australian pop rock band decided to host an album “listening ritual” for fans to tune in to on Instagram live.
“We were gonna go all over the world, do all these kinds of things, and then we just couldn’t,” lead singer Luke Hemmings said in an interview with the New York Post.
Although the stream had a few complications (drummer Ashton Irwin couldn’t figure out how to add his bandmates to the stream, bassist Calum Hood’s Wi-Fi cut out a few times, and guitarist Michael Clifford didn’t charge his phone enough prior), it was an overall successful substitute for an actual release party.
“Especially during this time when you’re feeling alone, it just felt like the whole 5SOS fam was actually together… It was really special and I had fun,” senior Leilani Quijano said. “It took my mind off of everything going on… It made me feel so connected with them (the band). This experience was really needed.”
“C A L M” did for many what its title suggests: it calmed.
This is a rather different direction than what the band has put out in the past— with their self-titled album debuting in 2014 containing pop punk tracks and “Sounds Good Feels Good” following up just a year later leaning slightly more towards the punk half of pop punk.
The album reveals a lot of growth. “C A L M” can be described just as the band is now: pop rock. The band’s rebranding isn’t too much of a surprise though as their third album, “Youngblood,” so seamlessly bridges the gap between old and new 5SOS.
“Their break after their second album really changed them and gave them an awakening,” senior Yazmin Santoyo said. “I guess you could say ‘Youngblood’ was an introduction to a new sound, new era, and their most recent album ‘C A L M’ enforces that change.”
Many years have passed since the band first began in 2011. The rebrand wasn’t forced, of course, it simply happened because 5SOS allowed time to work its magic and define themselves.
Thus, “C A L M” was ready just when it needed to be.
Furthermore, understanding the difficult times we are currently living in, the band has partnered with the Calm app. Calm is used for meditation in an effort to decrease anxiety and stress, as well as increase better sleep. Hemmings uses the app to benefit his own mental health. The band’s deal with the app features remixes of “Red Desert,” “Old Me,” “Easier,” and “Best Years.”
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