While inside during the COVID-19 outbreak, listening to new music can be a fun way to occupy yourself. 5 Seconds of Summer, also known as 5SOS, released their brand-new album “CALM” on March 27.

“CALM” is an album embodying a variety of themes and sounds, including the popular “Easier,” “Teeth” and “No Shame.” Apple Music describes the band as “a quartet of virtuosic musicians enthusiastically traversing pop and classic rock.” 

The album encapsulates what it is like to be in your twenties, with all their mistakes and memories on full display. The record begins with “Red Desert,” a 70s inspired song that showcases all four of the band members’ vocal talents. This chant-like song, along with “Lonely Heart” toward the end of the album, highlight their abilities to span a wide variety of genres with their music.  

Several of the songs on the album tap into sounds from decades before such as “Wildflower,” a fun and light song that sounds like it could have been created in the 80s. Bass player Calum Hood takes the singing lead on the track, belting, “I’ll tell you what I like, My Wildflower.”

The third track, “Old Me,” touches on their growth as individuals from teenagers to adults in the past few years. All 5SOS fans should check out this song’s music video for old clips of the guys from their earlier years as a band.

As the album progresses, there are a few ballads that show the boys, specifically front man Luke Hemmings’, vocal abilities. “Best Years,” “Lover of Mine” and “High” each speak about love in both the contexts of growing up with the person you love most right beside you, as well as the process of moving onto another after you are no longer together. In all these ways, 5SOS nails the slower songs just as much as their faster songs, such as “Not in The Same Way.”

In “Thin White Lies,” one of the final tracks of the album, Hemmings sings, “I don’t think I like me anymore. Will someone tell me who I was before?” The honest and raw tone of the entire album makes it an excellent record to listen to in 2020.

While being interviewed by Apple Music, Hemmings made it clear that the album was all about the band members up until this point in their careers.