I have been a 5 Seconds of Summer fan since their 2011 Keek videos and “500 Years of Winter – Pizza Song.”
After four albums as a group, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Luke Hemmings released his first solo album, “When Facing the Things We Turn Away From” in 2021. The amazing alternative collection featured beautiful, soft songs like “Starting Line” and “Place In Me.” The song “Motion” was even featured on the “FIFA 22″ soundtrack.
On April 26, we will be graced with a brand new album, “Boy.” Thankfully, Hemmings has given fans a tease of the music with the release of “Shakes.”
The three-minute single is a lovely melody backed by strong vocals and poetic lyrics. The album will focus on childlike wonder, with “Shakes” diving into existentialism and yearning for home.
Fears of growing up are evident with lyrics like, “I wanna go out in my sleep now / So I don’t feel no pain / The city tends to move on all the same,” and “Is it better to feel this or feel nothin’ at all?”
The chorus, “Honey, I just wanna be yours, wanna be yours / Inside your dreams tonight / Oh, no, oh no / Can’t shake this feelin’” sounds quite different from his previous work. In an interview with Billboard, he revealed that he “was experimenting with pitching,” which is why “the chorus kind of sounds like [him], but it also has layers of pitched vocals.”
Although the lyrics of the chorus seem pretty simple, the message of missing youth is still there within Hemmings’ enchanting voice. He sings his lines with such emotion and elegance that it’s almost impossible not to imagine yourself in the picture he paints.
The launch of “Shakes” is proof that his sophomore album will be just as good, if not better, than the first, and lots of fans, including myself, can’t wait.
ajones11@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @lukehemmings, Instagram
