“We’ve been through everything together,” says vocalist-guitarist Luke Hemmings from the Australian pop rock band
It doesn’t matter what you believed a decade ago, but it’s arguably been proven that pop-punk and emo music was never just a phase. The hairstyles, nail paint, piercings and ridiculously tongue-in-cheek choruses which were celebrated (and of course, ridiculed) have returned to mainstream music and culture conversations.
New music from Avril Lavigne, Machine Gun Kelly, Willow Smith, and, of course, a massive American festival called When We Were Young point us toward how a certain rebellious streak (albeit a much lighter and much less debauched version of punk movement from the Eighties onwards) can still capture our attention.
5 Seconds Of Summer have been there all along to participate in this wave, even as it makes a comeback of sorts. The Australian quartet – comprising vocalist-guitarist Luke Hemmings, drummer Ashton Irwin, bassist-vocalist Calum Hood and guitarist, vocalist and producer Michael Clifford – were pop-punk faves when they released hormonal, singalong songs like “She Looks So Perfect” and “Good Girls” in 2014 and “She’s Kinda Hot” in 2015. Even as they evolved and released one of their most important works – their third album Youngblood in 2018 – 5SOS’ Clifford says they were too early for pop-punk and emo and didn’t necessarily want to have to continue waving just that flag. “There’s something really special about whatever spirit is within pop-punk and emo. We’ve always been such advocates for that type of music and we really lifted the people up in that community when we were coming up and still now. So, it’s always been really important and special to us, and it’s incredible seeing it getting the love that it deserves now,” the guitarist adds.
It’s an enviable space that 5 Seconds of Summer occupy at the moment. They had a breakthrough in the mainstream music world less than a decade ago but managed to keep adding new stylistic hues to their sonic palette, making them easy favorites whether it came to topping charts or headlining festivals and packing the house for tours around the world. Youngblood was cathartic and edgy where it needed to be while still reminding people of the band 5SOS was. In 2020 – just as the world was shutting down due to the pandemic – they went ahead and released their fourth album Calm, driven with industrial-rock flourishes (“Teeth”) as well as leaning on Eighties synth-pop elements on songs like “No Shame.”
With the release of their latest song “Complete Mess” on March 2nd via BMG, they scale a whole new level of pop rock songwriting. It’s explosive and sprawling and contains a message of abandon, nostalgia and passion – a powerful concoction for any pop song ever. As it turns out, the song is the first of several more slated to release this year and an album, all of which was produced by the band themselves when they got together in California in November 2020. Over a video conversation as well as an email interview, Clifford, Hood and Hemmings weigh in on the making of “Complete Mess,” recording sessions and why they’ll always continue making music with guitars. Excerpts:
You released a magazine to tease the release of “Complete Mess.” How does it fit into the aesthetic that you want to present about the band at this juncture?
Calum Hood: To give some context about the song, we went to Joshua Tree in California, with just the four of us, in November 2020… holy shit. And so we went there, just to dip our toes in the water in terms of maybe creating a fifth album, but there was no real expectation. We went there for two weeks, and kind of ended up creating five or six songs that would end up becoming the core of the album. So in terms of “Complete Mess” fitting the aesthetic, I think everything that we’ve created revolves around
[the song]. And because it has survived this long within the process. It’s really given us a chance to be able to respect the song and what it means. I think it’s a good representation of where the band is at in terms of its how it sounds, and the lyricism and production as well.
Michael Clifford: Yeah, “Complete Mess” was kind of the song that kickstarted this album for us. It was the first one that sort of… once we got “Complete Mess,” it’s sort of helped us understand the kind of album that we were making, the kind of music that we wanted to continue to make, you know. I think that it’s not often that you get songs that can define the rest of everything creatively that you want to make, but it was like, such a great foundation for us to be able to work from that. And yeah, like Cal said, we wrote it in November of 2020, which was like a year and a half and a bit ago. So it surviving that long, and us not getting bored of it still, like still being able to listen to it and it gives us the same feeling as we did the first time we listened to it, we just were really hoping that translates with other people as well.
Can you tell me a bit about the sessions at Joshua Tree, and how it felt like being in charge of the production as well?
Michael: I specifically kind of stumbled into this, because when we went to Joshua Tree, we went there thinking that there was going to be an engineer or producer or someone to come with us. When we got there, the person who was meant to be coming was like, “Hey, my car just broke down. I can’t make it.” So I was like, “Alright, well, I brought my laptop, luckily, plug me in and let’s just have a moment where we can create just the four of us!” I think it was such a blessing because we were able to really… we all speak the same musical language. If I’m doing the production or whatever, and Calum or Luke or Ash says, “Hey, I wanted to sound more like this,” I can immediately understand what we’re talking about, because we’ve been together for so long that there’s such a pre-built language of like, “Hey, you remember that thing we used to listen to when we were 12? Yeah, make that!”
I understand what that means. It was honestly such an incredible process because I feel like not having someone who’s like [pretends to look at a wristwatch] “Well, I’m out of here. 3:30” or whatever, helped us play stuff and just feel more free. And we got to sort of express the way that we wanted to sound.
Calum: Mike summed it up pretty well. It’s kind of the fifth member, you know, which is the production and the songwriting. So, it’s been a really freeing experience, being able to keep it pretty much all inclusive. We’re really happy that we’ve been able to take this step as a band, nearly 10 years in, you know? It feels like a lot of learning and a lot of hard work put into something that means a lot to us, and it’s come to fruition.
In the decade that 5SOS have thrived, we’ve seen a sort of resurgence of pop-punk and emo, whereas you’ve been championing it in a sense all along. What’s your favorite thing about re-emergence and seeing artists like Avril Lavigne to Willow Smith bring the sound back?
Michael: Yeah, it’s funny, ‘cause we were like, six years too early. [laughs] You know what I mean? When we first came out in like, 2014, or whatever that was sort of the sound that we had, and the kind of sound that we’d been trying to popularize and bring back. Eventually, as an artist, you change and you evolve and your tastes change and what you’re interested in sort of shifts, especially as a band.
So, it’s kind of crazy. I personally don’t really know what to say! It’s awesome that it’s coming back. And honestly, all of those artists are incredible, and they’re really doing great stuff. But I think we wanted to – especially with this album – make sure that we had feelings of capturing the essence of what that pop-punk stuff gives you and whatever emotions that they evoke, but then apply it to something that sounds a little more mature and a little more beautiful and different. But, you know, we still have our pop-punk thesis. I don’t think there’s any escaping that.
We’re going to see When We Were Young festival happen later this year in the U.S. What were your thoughts on seeing that spectacle roll out?
Calum: It’s amazing. I haven’t seen a festival like that in terms of that genre and the amount of amazing bands that are on there, like modern and present. And, you know, from the past in a long time. Since maybe like… it’s everything that Warped Tour wanted to be.
Michael: I know, and the day it got announced, we definitely sent an email saying, “Hey! Where was our invite? Come on! Is there any room?”
Calum: Apparently not.
Michael: Apparently not.
Calum: But yeah, it’s awesome for bands in general that they’re playing live together again, and there’ll be a lot of people there. So it’s great.
The role of guitar music has changed so much in today’s world in terms of popularity, right? What do you think?
Michael: When it came to approaching production for “Complete Mess,” there was always… Like you said, for us, guitars have been something that have to stay in the focus, because eventually, we’re going to be taking that song and we’re going to be playing that song live. You want to be able to perform that song in a way that we’re a four-piece band where two of us play guitar, one of us plays bass, one of us plays drums. So we want to always make sure that it can be the focus, and that it still feels like a band.
There are ways to navigate it in a sneaky, kind of, tasteful way where you’re not pushing guitars down anyone’s throat but it can be like a prominent feature. Especially with “Complete Mess,” it’s more in the courses; it’s kind of got that wall-of-sound thing. Within that wall of sound are about 25 to 30 different sounds, and some of the main ones you’re hearing are guitar, and sometimes they can be synth and bass-focused.
Guitars are tricky to get into songs and not feel like you’re trying to force it down someone’s throat. But especially now in 2022, where we are and the conversation that we were just having, they are surprisingly a lot more receptive than they used to be.
When we first came out in 2014, and on our first and second record, it was a lot less like, “Do you really need guitar on this song?” Or “Can it just be something else?” Where now it’s kind of shifted to almost the other end of the spectrum where you want a guitar on it now and you want it to feel personable and you want it to have that personality of whoever the artist is. In our case, we use guitar really expressively and we use it in a way that can help define sections of songs and stuff. It’s interesting navigating it… but we got a bass riff in “Complete Mess.” We don’t have many bass riffs.
Calum: 10 years it’s taken me.
Michael: [laughs] Calum on the bass riff!
A lot of band dynamics have changed due to the pandemic and its restrictions. What have the past two years been like for you as friends as well as musicians?
Luke Hemmings: The last couple of years have been interesting for us, because I feel like overall – just relating it to the band for a second – after being in it so long and so intensely, to sort of see the band from the outside…I don’t know, it just felt like we got to see it from the outside and understand what it is and how special it is. In relation to that, it made me, honestly, maybe have more gratitude towards it – that we can do this and people are waiting for our new music and waiting for us to come to their city.
And as friends, I think honestly, it’s a similar thing because it’s related to the band as well, and we still hang out all the time. I think that is one of the most spectral things and one of the most enduring things about this band is that we’re actually friends after this long. And, apparently, that doesn’t happen for lots of bands, if any. So, I feel very blessed that we have that. And I think even if there are things that come up that we need to figure out or—everyone has their own lives now and we understand how important it is to keep that friendship and to keep the band going because we want to. So, I think all of that, I don’t know, it has made it a bit more clear. Shit’s gonna happen but just, sort of, figure it out because we know we can and we’ve been through everything together.
The decade that 5SOS have spent making music as a band, you’ve had front-row seats to so much that can happen to (and for) sought-after artists. Everything from high-profile concerts to mammoth music video productions to now being part of a new label, BMG. What are your thoughts on the direction the music industry is headed in?
Michael: I think the thing with the music industry is that it is just constantly changing. And yeah, we’ve been a part of this music world for so long now. Just in our 10 years, we’ve seen CDs completely go out and we’ve seen iTunes and buying music online come in and then go away, and then streaming take over. So, you’re constantly having to shift the way that you release music and the way you approach it. And we’ve always just been open-minded, malleable and willing to do whatever it takes to have our music heard by as many people as possible.
Thematically, it sounds like you’ve always been writing from this combined perspective of nostalgia, maturity as well as strong-headedness. What sort of thoughts and subjects are driving the new record?
Luke: I think there’s a bit more…it’s definitely very self-reflective but in a different way than the other albums have been. I feel like the concept in the previous albums were, maybe sometimes, very internal and about one thing. And I think some of these songs on the next album do have that sort of thing as well but a lot of them have, sort of, thoughts on bigger concepts and how the internal dialogue relates to those bigger concepts. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be about one thing or one relationship or one moment; it’s more about a bigger picture and it’s a bit grander. I guess it’s just…when you get older, you see things in a different light, so it’s, kind of, just like that. So, instead of songs being about one fight you had with someone, it’s more about your journey as a human in this day and age. They are just bigger concepts to me and they still have that thing in song about reflectiveness but they are just a bit broader.
You’ve got these songs now and the album coming up. Can you tell me a bit about how you’re choosing which songs from this set go out first?
Michael: Incredibly difficult. Especially going into this album, we want to play a lot of our new music that may or may not be unreleased. So, now that we have so much music, we, kind of, just have to choose what ones we feel like playing on this tour and what ones suck. Turns out, a lot of them suck but there’s some that don’t. So, I think, we’ll probably, hopefully play the ones that don’t suck.
One of the things that 5SOS have done is stay rooted in guitar and rock elements no matter how far you wander off into other styles. How easy or difficult is that?
Luke: I think, weirdly, now it’s getting a bit easier because they seem to be having some sort of a resurgence. I think the thing about this band is that we – from the get-go, it seems, are just never caring about what the trends are. We’ve had a few moments where we tried and it just, like never feels…um…like even pop-punk being big now, but we were doing it eight years ago when literally everyone was like, “Please don’t do this genre.” And we were like, “But we like it.” [laughs]. Even now, we could have done the pop-punk thing again but we’ve not done that. I guess, it’s not that at all, it’s just where the band is at, at this certain time. I don’t if Mike has any thoughts on this?
Michael: Nailed it.
What are everyone’s current favorite artists from Australia right now?
Michael: Gang of Youths is the best one.
Luke: Yeah, Gang of Youths is great. I think they’re the best. Not only in Australia, but it’s the best…
It looks like 2022 is the year for 5SOS once again. What else is being plotted out throughout the year?
Luke: We got a song that just came out with a day and date video, which is impossible to do because it never works out and we did it. We got an album, we got a tour, that’s about it. Pretty shortlist, I guess, but they take a long time.
Michael: They do, they each, individually, are very long.
Since I’m writing from India, have you ever had any offers to perform here yet? What have you heard about from your fans in India? Michael: We haven’t had any offers, per se but we’ve always wanted to come to India. Playing a show there would be a dream and we really, really would love for that to be able to happen. So, if you do want us to come to India then just keep letting us know on the line.
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