Imagine a life without the hated coronavirus. It’s a bright, sunny Saturday afternoon, and you and your friends decide to go on a drive. With the windows down, your friends take over the radio, blaring the new 5SOS album “CALM.” Instantly, you feel light and airy, with no care in the world. However, sadly this is not a corona-less world, and we are faced with the constant loneliness and longing for those times with our friends. 5 Seconds of Summer’s new album gives you just that, with its soothing, yet upbeat tracks.

Dropped on March 27, this album has a variety of song topics, ranging from the band members’ toxic breakups to an homage to nature.

5 Seconds of Summer began dropping songs from this album last spring, with the release of “Easier” in May, “Teeth” in August, “No Shame” in February and two others in March. The quartet begins the album with a melodic beat and acoustic voices, which eventually turns into a pounding, catchy beat in “Red Desert.” When I first heard this song, I instantly had chills, and, after listening to it multiple times, I can’t resist singing along. The next few songs on the album, “No Shame,” “Old Me,” “Easier” and “Teeth” are true verifications to their progression in music. In their first few albums, 5SOS was a punk rock band. However, this album truly shows that they are able to perform well in multiple genres. 

The next few songs are different from the rest on the album, as they are more calm and melodic. For instance, in “Lover Of Mine,” the quartet combines a simple chord progression on the guitar with heartbreaking lyrics to create a chilling single about what the singer’s life was like when he didn’t have his lover with him. “Lonely Heart” is similar to this; however, it changes rapidly, with the somber first verse turning into a pounding, catchy chorus. 

The last song on the album, “High,” is my favorite, as it’s calm, soothing beat is the perfect conclusion to an already spot-on album. The lyrics are chilling, and they resonate with truths we all feel after a crushing breakup. 5SOS perfectly describes feelings I’ve felt in previous relationships, saying, “I know I’ll never meet your exceptions. But the picture that you paint of me looks better in your mind.”

This album was much needed, as the musical group had not produced one since “Youngblood,” which was released in 2018. The songs are catchy and for the most part, upbeat, which is a necessity with the difficult news we have had to face recently concerning COVID-19. However, with everything going on, I encourage everyone to keep “CALM.”