Amidst all the crazy going on in the moment, 5 Seconds of Summer, an Australian pop rock band from Sydney, New South Wales, released a new album on 27 March. The band, originally formed in 2011, has taken on a new style in their most recent album CALM.  The new record is available to listen to on Apple Music and Spotify.

Including 12 amazing songs, CALM has officially welcomed in a new era of 5 Seconds of Summer, who is commonly referred to as 5SOS. The Australian pop rock band has had two distinct lives: their boy-band pop-punk adolescence, which is defined by their self-titled 2014 album, and 2015’s Sounds Good Feels Good. After this, the boys disappeared for two years, grew up, became adults, and resurfaced as one of the biggest bands on the planet. 

After releasing Youngblood in 2018, fans have been waiting on the edge of their seats for about two years as 5SOS worked on their newest album CALM, which is named after the four members: Calum Hood, Ashton Irwin, Luke Hemmings, and Michael Clifford. The group released two singles: Easier on 23 May 2019 followed by Teeth on 21 Aug 2019 to give fans a taste of what was to come. 

CALM, along with Youngblood, introduced a new side of 5SOS to the fans, a side which strayed away from their boy-band youth. The band has taken on a more edgy feel as shown in their recent music videos for No Shame, Teeth, and Easier. 

Their new sound is inspired by a cover of Queen’s Killer Queen the group performed back in 2018. The group used  harmonies and building gang vocals to create a new song: Red Desert. The band realized their true vocal potential when covering the Queen song and ran with that breakthrough in their newest record. The rest of the album drew inspiration from previous rock bands and icons such as the Eagles, the Beatles, Crosby, Still, & Nash, and The Edge from U2. 

The album includes Red Desert, No Shame, Old Me, Easier, Teeth, Wildflower, Best Years, Not in the Same Way, Lover of Mine, Thin White Lines, Lonely Heart, and High. From the rock and roll feel of Teeth to the light melodies of High no part of this album disappoints. The album is uplifting, honest, and heartfelt all at the same time. According to lead singer Luke Hemmings, the record was meant to capture a raw outlook on society.

As of now, the band still plans on going on their No Shame tour. The tour is set to begin in May opening in Dublin and close in December making a full trip back to Sydney with shows in the UK, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Mexico, the U.S., and many more stops along the way. Hopefully the COVID-19 outbreak does not interfere with their plans to share their new sound with the world.