When it comes to bands, most people know the name of the band and nothing about the members. Many people have heard of 5 Seconds of Summer, but other than the bigger fans, most people wouldn’t be able to tell you that lead singer Luke Hemmings recently released a solo EP: “boy.”
5 Seconds of Summer is most commonly known for their songs “She Looks So Perfect,” and “Youngblood.” The band considered themselves a rock band rather than a boyband.
When Hemmings released his debut album “When Facing the Things We Turn Away From,” in 2021, he surprised listeners with a completely different sound than they were used to. While 5SOS mainly writes pop-rock music, Hemmings’ EP can be described as ethereal and melancholic pop. “boy” follows “When Facing the Things We Turn Away From,” in its uniqueness, but is even better.
The EP starts off strong with “I’m Still Your Boy,” to show what the rest of the album will sound like. Each song is full of beautiful lyrics, raw vocals, and sweet melodies.
In an interview with People magazine, Hemmings explained, “I have a tendency to write pretty emotionally dark things, and I didn’t want it to feel like a sad body of work. I wanted it to feel in the middle of those two things and feel a bit more how life feels, trying to sum up… I don’t know, being human is so – from my experience, it’s so up and down and my emotions are intense in both ways from day to day. So I wanted it to feel more melancholy and ride that line.”
Upon releasing “boy,” Hemmings announced a tour: Nostalgia For a Time That Never Existed – which describes the album perfectly. The album cover features Hemmings in a dark blue, glittery setting to match the overall vibe of the EP.
It’s hard to say exactly what “boy” is about. Hemmings shared that he didn’t always know what each song was about until he was finished writing them.
After admitting to some people watching, Hemmings said, “…a lot of the songs, they’re not just about one thing. It’s more like an overall feeling of getting older and feeling like it’s all happening too fast and too slow at the same time.”
Even though each song was an emotional journey for Hemmings to write, he didn’t stop there. He produced a music video/visualizer for each song on the EP, and all the videos share a similar vibe to fit the EP.
While Hemmings says, “There’s a lot of writing [in the EP] about feeling a bit lost and alienated even though you’re surrounded by so many people,” the lyrics can be up for interpretation to fit anyone who listens to his music.
Even though the EP isn’t necessarily upbeat, it’s a comforting sound to close your eyes to. It doesn’t fit a single genre, as it’s a whole new sound.
It’s impossible to describe the full extent of beauty in “boy.” It’s definitely worth multiple listens because of the magical feeling it evokes. It’s a powerful 24 minutes, containing 7 songs that’ll leave you wanting more. The only way to fully understand it is by experiencing it for yourself.
