With new album 'C A L M,' 5 Seconds of Summer says they "weren't afraid of pushing the boundaries"

Capitol Records

C A L M, the new album by 5 Seconds of Summer, shows a new lyrical and emotional depth — and bass player Calum Hood says they’ve all simply grown up.

Calum tells ABC Audio that a lot of the credit goes to singer Luke Hemmings, whose lyrics, he says, “tell the tale of a man who has matured over the years and who has really honed in on his craft.”

But also, he notes, “I think everyone had something to say with this album, in terms of their coming of age — in really reflecting on the people who we were and how things shaped us, and who we want to become in the future.”

C A L M — the title’s an acronym of the first letters of band member’s names — is also very eclectic, with acoustic and electronic sounds, plus ’80s throwback tracks.

“It is pretty chaotic at times,” laughs Calum. “I think we weren’t afraid of kind of pushing the boundaries in terms of how an album could collectively sound.”

But what ties everything together, he notes, “goes back to our Australian roots.”

“[We were] just trying to create the best [music] we could create and to do that in a way that is honest to ourselves and honest to the people who supported us and our families,” he explains.

Speaking of Australia, 5SOS’ home country is now dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, just as it was emerging from the deadly bush fire crisis. But Calum says Aussie’s aren’t easily defeated.

“I haven’t been back there since early this year, actually, and I kind of saw firsthand of how that was affecting people,” he says of the first. “It is a really tough thing to experience. A lot of people struggling, but also, it brought everyone together.”

With new album 'C A L M,' 5 Seconds of Summer says they “weren't afraid of pushing the boundaries”