In a conversation initiated both out of curiosity and as a distraction from the pain radiating from my right shoulder, I asked out loud "what do you think determines an artist's level of stardom in a world where being a one-hit-wonder barely exists anymore?" Consequently no concrete evidence was determined, nor do I think it would have been given the fact that neither I nor my best friend, are well versed enough in the music industry to understand how going viral on TikTok leads to a permanent slot in radio rotation. I understand the rate of consumption, SEO, and just how viral a track goes has most to do with it, but what I know of the world of music years ago versus how it prospers now consistently leads me down a rabbit hole of yearning to know more and exactly what determines whether you've "made it" in a new facet of an industry like this; one so wide in a scope of exposure, you can feel you have insurmountable success while not even having cut your square of fabric to sew into the quilt of the music industry. What we know of 5 Seconds of Summer's rise to stardom is how seemingly overnight they rose from building what they thought would be their be-all-end-all to not even having to touch the tools themselves for it to be built. From the 2012 base jump off Louis Tomlinson's tweet to the present moment, pending the official release of their next album CALM, 5 Seconds of Summer seems to have witnessed the ins and outs of the music industry while balancing what is supposed to be formative adult years and as a fan, I've seen the ends of the spectrum. The years we faced 5SOS gracing the covers of teen magazines in grocery stores, social media outlets like Tumblr. and Twitter became ravaged with the acronym CALM (Calum, Ashton, Luke, Michael) for a different reason. The band suddenly found themselves becoming collateral antidepressants for teenage girls across the globe who poured their hearts and souls into supporting this band, looking for reciprocity in any possible way they could. "Stay CALM," donning a photo of the band, serving as a reminder to trust what the band, the music, the all-encompassing lifestyle of being a 5SOS fan brings to you in the moments you come to doubt yourself. When I came out of the phase of resting my head on the music that brought me peace as a way to take myself from what I refused to deal with head-on, my own concern for the band themselves began to grow. In the time between Sounds Good Feels Good: the perfect attempt at breaking out of what seemed to be cookie-cutter giving a damn and exchanging it for heavy guitars and Green Day influences, to Youngblood: an album that closed the book not only on a difference in eras, but the difference in who they were in 2015 and who they were in 2018, the presence of trials and tribulations became obvious. This had been the largest gap between releases in the history of the group. In this time we began witnessing the disappearance of the 5SOS we all grew to like, some to despise, in exchange for a band that the band liked, not just manufactured for the sake of entertainment value and keeping their fans engaged. The stark differences between two acclaimed "eras" ranged from raw & acerbic vocals, no color in sight, something to prove, clad in skinny jeans and old band shirts to softer & methodical vocals, edgier (though less cliche) lyrics, eccentric styles given the knowledge of recent band wardrobe, and colors vivid enough to give visual cues to any song they accompanied. Though fitting with the times and where fellow musicians seemed to be headed despite their personal musical styles, this became an apparent distancing from what has been bred to be 5 Seconds of Summer for the foreseeable future and it was an impactful change. I'm here to tell you, though I was raised on listening to my mom blare the likes of Coheed and Cambria and Blink-182, Sounds Good Feels Good was both right up my alley and my least favorite release to date, but I was not at all prepared for what Youngblood brought to the table. It became the palate cleanser for what would become what I think may bring 5 Seconds of Summer back to the radio at the degree of She Looks So Perfect. CALM, in terms of being a collective piece of work, is not a single piece of work. Through the notes I took during my own quarantined listening party, there are very few songs that show likeness to another. What I can bring to you is the observation that this album feeling soundtrack-ish is no observation to be underestimated, as it seems very much like the soundtrack of 5 Seconds of Summer start to finish. It feels very ethereal, unimagined, and the ability to create songs that visually envelope you is to not be overlooked. Easier bridged the gusty gap between Youngblood and CALM and was the smartest first release they could have made. Teeth showed the side of 5SOS we thought we got with Sounds Good Feels Good and tracks like Rejects and Social Casualty. Old Me was the wildcard release, further encouraging the idea that this is all meant to be not quite a cohesive description of the past year, but parts and pieces of what has brought this group to this release. As I write this, we're 11 hours from Wildflower being released to the world and this, truly, is what does the album in for me. Calum Hood takes the reigns for vocals on this track and unconditionally so. Upon my first listen, a nervous giggle escaped the throws of my chest within the first minute and this is not an experience I've had in years with any single song, especially a 5 Seconds of Summer track. Wildflower is a very John Hughes 80's driven song, seemingly sensual in a teenage crush type of way. The track itself is intoxicating; one of those songs you could bathe in until you run the tap dry. Calum's vocals are so ripe, they feel tangible, and to have a different frontman take center stage on a seemingly top 40 song is both a breath of fresh air and reassuring. There's very little voice of the rest of the band on the rest of the album, but it becomes a blatant display of growth in Luke Hemmings and what he's capable of doing with his voice in this craft. Certain songs, however, have touches of different energies within the 5SOS camp: Not In The Same Way dripping with Ashton Irwin's vitality & sense of self and Teeth representing the rough-around-the-edges parts of Michael Clifford we've all found enticing. Instead of this being an album viciously melted to make up one solid being of the parts of the band, it became indicative that this would only work as long as each individual person lit a match to threw in the fire. So much of this album absolutely fills my chest with the contents of what has been created, here. It has aspects of apprehensive curiosity, yearning, mystical touches, songs that make you feel like you're taking a hot shower with the bathroom window open, while enveloping a sense of likeness and familiarity, a comfort for those who know where this is coming from. This record is unmistakably visual and visceral for those who live their lives in such a way. The difference between then and now is tangible. You don't even have to grab it out of the air, because 5SOS is willing to hand it to you directly. CALM provides me with a reassurance that says these guys enjoy their craft again and are doing it for themselves, for their creative processes, for their well-being, not just because it's what they're expected to do.
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