Don't know Luke Hemmings? Let me educate you briefly. Luke is part of the Australian pop/punk band that has gone a bit more Pop and pop/rock with their last two bodies of work. And thanks to a lovely friend online, I took a harder listen to 5 Seconds of Summer and embraced them fully beyond their singles. Luke Hemmings however is both ear candy AND eye candy for me. Ashton Irwin of 5 Seconds of Summer also released a solo album, Superbloom, if you want to get into all of them. But we are going to focus today on Luke's first solo work, heavily centered around facing some personal demons and finding help and hope amongst the pain. He discussed in commentaries on the release about struggling and seeking therapy during the pandemic, so we reach into some darker territory lyrically.
I heard the singles going into the album, so I had an idea what it may be like. The album itself far surpassed my expectations. The work is beautifully written, the music is enough to keep you hooked in without taking away from the themes. The shift choice of some of the content together really was emotional and some songs even brought emotional tears to my eyes. Prepare yourself for a truly emotional journey.
The album begins with a properly titled "Starting Line". To be clear, if you were looking for something particularly upbeat, you should be looking elsewhere. This is not a dance-pop album. It reminds me a bit more of U2 sonically here, and the choice of melody is very emotionally compelling. It comes off like a war cry and a cry for help all the same.
Inspired by a trip he took to Vietnam, "Saigon" contains the title track lyric, as he discusses beginning in the silence of quarantines to face the things he has tried to avoid. I like how the song seems sonically happy on the surface but the lyrics are inherently darker. It brings to thought the mask worn to try and live in escapism from the flaws and problems we have.
"Motion" carries on some of the difficulties, turning to the inner distrust he has with his own mind. Sometimes the voice in your mind does not feel like your own. It matches the choice of styling as Saigon, which anxiety like this can really be difficult.
"Place in Me" is meant to sound like him leaving an answering machine message to someone he let down. It falls into a far softer melody, allowing for the stronger emotions to show again. Sometimes it is the people we love the most who we let down and have to try and fix things with... And it is sometimes in our darkest times that we push everyone away.
"Baby Blue" is about trying to reach back into bad habits for escapism. Whatever takes him back to "wonderland". When you are trying to escape, you rather stay there forever than face the real problem.
And here is where your emotional death begins. "Repeat" discusses chasing something for so long that you cannot even recognize yourself back at square one. Sometimes we find the other extreme to chase off our demons without realizing that we haven't gotten anywhere at all, and suddenly you're repeating the same problems.
And then we shift to "Mum", which is like an emotional plea to his mother for both help and forgiveness for his transgressions and "not calling". This is by far the most beautiful song on the album, the musical and melodic choices come together and I literally cried. This is what powerful ballads can be. What they should be.
And as if "Mum" needed anything else to add salt to the wounds of emotional turmoil, after this we get "Slip Away", a song of assurance that your mistakes and repetitions have now driven away the ones you love the most, shown the worst side of you, and everything is slipping away from you. Yeah. Excuse me while I go clean up the tissues from the emotional assault.
We then switch to "Diamonds", where he discusses trying to cope with the whirlwind of things that have hit him. It thankfully is not as deathly tear worthy as the last three songs otherwise you might need an actual intermission to pull yourself off the bed.
"A Beautiful Dream" shifts to a slightly lighter tone, of not wanting to forget the beautiful and wonderful things that come into your life.
"Bloodline" shifts to a discussion about cycles. Addiction is sadly, often a family cycle and wondering if it is something to always struggle with like genetics or if it can be conquered.
The album closes with "Comedown", which made me think a little of how Harry Styles ended on his debut album. I think Luke wrote it better, with a compelling song. It adds hope, and belief in a light at the end of the tunnel. After such an emotional journey, there is always growth.
Lyrics: 10/10. If you want to argue go listen to Mum again.
Music: 10/10 - Everything fit.
Overall: 10/10. This is my second 10 of the year. This deserves accolades for all the right reasons. Here's to hoping Luke continues to find a better place as well.
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