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Saturday, March 27, 2021

Happy One Year Anniversary to 5 Seconds of Summer's Fourth Studio Album CALM! :D

One year ago today, 5 Seconds of Summer released their fourth studio album CALM (2020) and it was one of the best things to ever happen to me.

I've never liked a music artist the way I like these guys. Sheesh, I keep writing about them, and I'm gonna keep doing it too! They are so normal and talented and I am loving them up. They just make me feel so ecstatic and less alone. I have never felt so connected to and understood by celebrities before.

I talk about a lot of the songs from CALM in my "A Tale of Two Brother Bands: The Impact and Evolution of One Direction and 5 Seconds of Summer" essay (Go read that after this! It's some of my best work and it kept me busy during quarantine!), but this is more of a chance for me to discuss this album on its own.

I think CALM is their best album title so far. 5 Seconds of Summer (2014) is self-titled, so okay. Sounds Good Feels Good (2015) is catchy and it was just something Calum said about that album so that title stuck. Youngblood (2018) is a cool title and their title track is their most well known single thus far.

CALM, however, is a clever acronym of their names (Calum, Ashton, Luke, Michael). It's a way their fans have apparently been referring to them for years, so this is a lovely way to connect the band to their fanbase. 

Up until now, I never really cared much for the name of their fandom, 5SOSfam. To me it sounds better and more fun for a fan to call themselves a "Sossie," much like it is to call oneself a Directioner, Swiftie, Arianator, Little Monster, Limelight, etc., as opposed to calling yourself "a member of the 5SOSfam" or something like that. It's a mouthful. But then I watched this video where they explain that their fan name was chosen because their fans are like family to them, therefore making me appreciate it more. This ascertains my feeling about them being more about community with less of a disconnect between them and their fans like other celebrities may have.

"Calm" is also a great word in general. For 5SOS being mental health advocates releasing an album entitled this during a global pandemic, it just fits. Thanks to this, they even collaborated with the Calm app to create remixes of "Old Me," "Red Desert," "Best Years," and "Easier." 

If they don't call their upcoming fifth album 5SOS5, which is beyond perfection and a symmetrical palindrome, then I don't know what to tell you. lol

Another thing that I like about CALM is that it is their least confusing studio record. By this I mean that is has the least amount of songs and less editions of it. For example, Youngblood has the standard edition that ends with "Ghost Of You," the deluxe edition that includes "Monster Among Men," "Meet You There," and "Babylon," the Target exclusive edition that includes bonus tracks "When You Walk Away" and "Best Friend" (and not to mention has four different covers), and then a Japanese edition that includes bonus track "Midnight." Their first two albums are even more detailed and confusing than this, with their multiple editions, B-sides and rarities, etc. Of course, there are also remixes and acoustic versions of some of their songs too. 

I'm noticing that plenty of musicians do this, and I guess I understand it for business reasons, but as a consumer, I can't stand this lol. From a recreational standpoint, I get that it's more music releases for them and more entertainment for us. But it can be difficult to keep track of all of these songs and even have them all in one place because if you buy one CD, vinyl, whatever, there will always be songs missing from it because they're only on another edition and/or this other edition is not as tangible! You're lucky if/when they make the songs available on streaming platforms. To this day, I am still mad at myself for purchasing and opening the standard edition of Niall Horan's Heartbreak Weather (2020) when I could have gotten the Target exclusive with both "Dress" and "Nothing" included as well for less! I'm not about to buy a whole other exact same CD for just two extra songs, so I am forever screwed out of "Dress" and "Nothing" on CD now lol. The only two editions that exist for CALM are the standard edition that ends with "High" and the Target exclusive edition with bonus tracks "Easier (Live From The Vault)," "Teeth (Live From The Vault)," and "No Shame (Live From The Vault)," which are only remixed rock renditions of pop songs that are already on the record anyway, but I am happy and grateful to have these tracks in my possession as well.

Anytime I want a CD now, I wait and look to Target FIRST to make sure that I don't miss out on anything. In fact, regardless of how I'm moaning about them, I do quite enjoy the inclusion of Target exclusives too because they are exciting additions. It's actually a big part of the reason why I love Target now. lol I keep talking about CDs because they are more nostalgic and appropo for me right now and I have CD players. 

As a child, I never really was invested in albums as a whole before but rather listened to various songs over and over again. Every song on CALM has its own special style and flavor (also because of the colorful videos that I provide in this blog post), making this a mosaic painting of an album. This is the first album in my lifetime that I have ever really truly loved and listen to religiously, to the point where I bought two CDs of it and kept both lol. 

Yeah, I know that I could have done the same thing with Heartbreak Weather, but this is different. These two have alternate covers, the Target exclusive has an exclusive poster (which is on the other side of the cover and not a separate thing like I thought it would be and I don't like this because if I wanted to hang up the poster the CD would then not have a cover anymore lol), and I wanted the regular booklet too. After much contemplation of whether or not I should keep just one or the other or whatever, I convinced myself that since they are 5SOS and this was the first album of theirs that introduced me to them and made me a fan, it was okay. LOL

Incidentally,  I like both covers, but the standard edition cover really stands out. Its dark background with the guys laying next to each other, eyes closed, and providing the only color that pops out among the shadows is a far cry from their elaborate Youngblood tye-dye album cover. Out of all of their album covers, the CALM standard edition one is the most artistic while also the simplest and they look calm on it. Even the track listing is their plainest with the white letters in plain font over black background. In addition to the subject matter of the songs on the album, all of this contributes to how CALM is way more mature when compared to their previous works.

A quick cool story about the Target exclusive CD. This was my first time going to Target to buy a CD. I had already purchased the standard edition at Barnes & Noble, but I had heard about Target exclusives, so I went to go check it out. 

I often debate about spending money on things, usually trying to do so just when I REALLY want something. They were also saying that you get a free CD if you purchase a tour ticket, so I was holding off for that as well before I even bought the standard edition (but I wasn't sure if they were still doing this and I didn't buy concert tickets yet anyway to play it safe due to COVID-19). 

There were 13 CDs available and I was trying to make my decision about if I should get it (considering that I already had the standard edition), which one should I get, etc. Right when I went to pick one up, I heard this start playing behind me:

It was like it was a sign saying, "Just buy the frigging CD, bitch!!!" So I chose my copy and did just that. It is now one of my most favorite purchases to date. I listen to it all the time in the car and my parents have become familiar with 5SOS and CALM now as a result lol. ( I actually cracked the front case a little bit awhile back and am so upset that I did that, but I try to think to myself that it is a testament to how much I love and use the thing. LOL)

A funny thing too is, they haven't really played videos on that screen ever since that night. (On March 29, 2021, they actually were playing videos on there again now. lol)

(New update as of June 1, 2021! They totally rearranged the store now since I was there last! The electronics section is now at the back of the store as opposed to the front as it was then, so I'm so glad that I took photos of this area when I did!)

CALM was released on March 27, 2020, but my personal one year anniversary with it is March 30, 2020. Please enjoy some of my live tweets from that day/night. I even wrote it down in my planner that this was the day that I discovered my love for 5SOS. lol


How about that for a short and sweet intro, huh?? Bet you didn't expect that! Let's talk about the album now, shall we? :)

*After I wrote, rewrote, published, and rewrote (and still rewriting a bit lol) this blog post, I watched a livestream of Ashton Irwin playing the album and teaching his audience very educational tidbits and lyrical analysis about the songs today to celebrate the one year anniversary. It's like his version of Cocktail Chats for this album, only here he's not drinking anything. It's more like the livestream release party he hosted for Superbloom. I highly recommend watching it because, like always, he is very insightful and what he has to say is interesting. I legitimately feel like I learned a lot and understand music a bit better from watching it. Fans have uploaded it to YouTube, so you can find it there. I believe that this is the full thing. 

One thing that he said is that every album should tell a story and be connected in some way, because otherwise it's just a playlist. I thought that albums that tell stories are unique in that way, but as it turns out, they're all supposed to be like that.

Ashton's livestream made me think and reconsider more about these songs because my blurbs here are just opinion based from a music consumer's perspective whereas his livestream was the artist straightforwardly telling us about the behind the scenes meanings, stories, influences, processes, and terminologies. I am now including and responding to some of what he said throughout this blog post. Just so you know, I'm not a music expert nor am I really much of a music blogger or critic. I just happen to really like 5SOS and this album and I wanted to write about it for the one year anniversary. lol*

1) "Red Desert"

"Red Desert" is one of my favorites off of CALM, and it is the first song they wrote entirely by themselves, along with music producer Matthew Pauling. We all known him from Sounds Good Feels Good and Superbloom

I'm starting to consider Pauling the fifth member of 5SOS, to be honest with you.

I really like that they are the only ones who wrote this one because it makes it that much more personal and it shows us what THEIR sound is without other influences. If "Red Desert" is any indication of how their future work will sound if they further choose to forego additional writers, then I'm all for it.

Ashton is particularly proud of this one. He often talks about it and says how it is about spirtuality and freedom, a new meaning that I hadn't thought of before, for I just regarded it as a tribute song to their homeland Australia. Considering this, the song has me looking at spirituality in a new perspective. The music and echoing vocals that they all belt out together at once (the four-part vocal harmonies that Ashton was talking about) is very tribal and mystical and transports you into another world or dimension. The title itself is a colorful setting, literally. A gorgeous way to kick off an album.

5SOS performed guitar acoustic versions of both "Red Desert" and "Teeth" live on separate occasions. Though these versions aren't bad, I don't prefer them. You really need the drums in both.

2) "No Shame"

I'm iffy about "No Shame." It's a strange one to me. It's not one of their best (which is interesting because Ashton said that it is the best song on the album for him), but it's an example of how they experiment sonically, much like "Valentine" from Youngblood. It's an honest song with a separate focus, less about romance and more about the effects of fame and attention. I really like the creepy intro music for their "Live From The Vault" version of this song.

The music video is one of their most artistic. There is a lot take apart here, but that is for another blog post. lol

3) "Old Me"

"Old Me" is a heartwarming little song about how 5SOS grew from their pasts and are yet thankful for how it made them into the men they are today. The music video is very touching too with the kids they casted to play their younger selves, showing how they grew up together. I also even like it instrumentally (you can find it on YouTube). I like that Ashton acknowledged how it has this hip hop rhythm, because I have seen choreographed dance numbers of it and believe that it does work.

I think my favorite lyric in this song is this one:

Ashes on the floor/But I'm walking, walking, walking/Out of here alive

There's an emotional toll and sense of victory here. They've survived their troubles and are stronger than ever.

Last month, for the song's one year anniversary, some 5SOS Twitter fan accounts joined forces to create a trend to celebrate. The idea was to choose a baby picture of your lane (your favorite 5SOS member), your own baby picture, a photo of yourself from the year "Old Me" was released, and a photo of yourself from a year later to illustrate how we all have "glowed up." I participated too and chose Ash, naturally. lol 

This is the 5SOS song that currently plays at work every so often these days, so I always feel happy when I hear it. :)

4) "Easier"

I'll make a claim here: 5SOS's sexiest song and music video. I mean look at it. The dark lighting, the girl rolling around on the ground, the guys emerging from underwater and dramatically walking down a hallway set aflame, Luke CHAINED to the ceiling of a cave...

Even the "Live From The Vault" video for this song is sexy. The blue lighting, people dancing (I think that's what they're doing lol), everyone is sweaty... 

...

Phew! *Fans self.* Geez. I gotta calm down. LOL

Anyway, I'm on the fence about the song itself, actually LOL. This is one of the singles that played a lot at work, and because of this, it got a little tiresome for me because I kept hearing the high-pitched "Is it easier to stay, is it easier to go..." quite often. Then again, I would often hear the remixes at work too...and...yeah. Original is always best.

Given that it was the first single of the CALM era, it set the dark tone for the rest of the album, though also continuing the darkness from the Youngblood era. It also incorporated some cool symbols assigned to each member that Ashton designed. 

"Easier" is interesting because at first I always just took it as whether or not you should stay in a faulty romantic relationship. It very well could be about that, but I've also seen interpretations saying that it could also mean the end of other relationships, such as a musician's relationship with the music industry. This altered my perception of the song a bit.

My favorite part of this song is this guitar riff performed by Michael Clifford. 

5) "Teeth"

ARIA AWARDS SONG OF THE YEAR!!!!! (IN 2020) 

Okay, so we all know by now how much I squeal over this song, and I've talked about it a lot already, but yeah. This is also one that Ashton always praises too.

It is SUCH a good song and video, you guys. Just look at how creative it is! What makes it so good is that it has the perfect combination of sinister sounds and settings. Calum's bass with the "bum bum bum bum bumbumbumbumbumbumbumbum bum bum bum bum bumbumbumbumbumbumbumbum" would make a great intro for a villain's theme song or setting the scene for some horror movie and the "TEEEEEEETH!" in the refrain is so chilling. And the "Live From The Vault" version with the extra haunting drums in the beginning...I...*stands up and applauds.*

This is one of their best written songs too. Look at this bridge!:

Blood on my shirt, rose in my hand/You're looking at me like you don't know who I am

Blood on my shirt, heart in my hand/Still beating

SHUT UP. Look at those visuals!

Sometimes I like to invent my own lyrics for this song too. My favorite one is "Sometimes you want kill me in my sleep." lol

And the video between the eerie setup at the dentist, the individual hellscapes, and the sorta cliffhanger at the end! It's a cinematic masterpiece.

The fact that it's even called "Teeth" too... That's a very cool name for a song. Not to mention that this song appears AMAZING live!

I remember people hyping "Teeth" up when it first came out and seeing the thumbnail of Luke with the oxygen thing on his face, already establishing the eerie atmosphere before I even watched it. I love how each of their anesthesia is symbolic of their rooms. I'm not sure about Ashton's and Michael's, but Luke wears an oxygen mask because he's in a room full of smoke and Calum takes a pill that is supposed to represent the block that he is chained to. 

It's so crazy too to see the hosts in this video (the other characters assigned to each 5SOS member) wear surgical masks before it became such a big demand nowadays. And in the behind the scenes video for "Old Me," Luke uses hand sanitizer and the guys shake hands with people like it's nothing. I think about these things way differently now. Wow...

Anyway, "Teeth" was the second 5SOS song I used to hear play at work all the time, "Youngblood" being the first. I enjoyed "Youngblood," but "Teeth" impressed me so much more and I always liked when it played. :)

Plus, it is SO good live! Especially Ashton performing it! He does something a little different every time! 

Much like "She Looks So Perfect" and "Youngblood," "Teeth" is going to be a song that they will be performing for the rest of their lives.

Just go watch the damn thing. lol

6) "Wildflower"

When you listen to CALM in chronological order, this song is such a weird transition from "Teeth." lol

"Wildflower" is the final single released from CALM, and the first music video of theirs that I anticipated as a fan because their other music videos came out before the record was released. Remember when they kept changing the thumbnail every week? I found so much joy in that. lol

This is Calum Hood's solo song of this album. His solo song from Youngblood is "Babylon," found only on the deluxe edition. 

So, this is by far the happiest song and music video of the album and maybe in the entire 5SOS catalogue. I think I tend to prefer their dark and sarcastic songs more, and this one is the complete opposite. lol

But "Wildflower" is a good song though and I do really like it. It's an 80s vibe, refreshing, happy-go-lucky, cute tune about love and sex with a special someone. You need something like that to bring your spirits up or just to listen to a fun song or have a dance party. lol

By the way, who sings the "Tell you what I like" part? Michael? That sounds hot. ;)

The funny thing about the "You're the only one who makes me...every time we..." lyric is that not only is it fill in the blanks, as a woman, I take it different. I'm thinking that them being men writing this, they didn't think anything of it, but if my man ever said this to me, a reaction I would have is "I better be the only one who makes you every time we! Who else is there?!" LOL I'm assuming that that line is referring to past lovers. I feel like that it could have been written a little bit better and differently and still get the point across because it's in present tense as if we're talking currently, but it's no big deal. "You're the only one who has made me...every time we have (had)..." might be more grammatically correct if we are going to get tense involved, but as a lyric it doesn't flow as well. 

I know that this is behind us now and I like the music video as is, but I kinda want them to remake the video as well with the intricate original plans that they had for it at some point because I feel bad that they couldn't do it because of the pandemic. Maybe include Sierra, KayKay, and Crystal too. (But keep Petunia! lol)

7) "Best Years"

The transition between "Wildflower" and "Best Years" is a little less drastic. lol

My future wedding song. I kid you not.

Well, hold on. I'm not getting married anytime soon so it's not officially my wedding song so don't get too excited, but I'd like it to be. I need to find myself a man first (who agrees with this choice). LOL

ANYWAY!

In the track by track livestream Ashton made, he talked about how this song is the best choice for weddings! I was so pumped to see that we are on the same page! lol He told his audience to use this song for their wedding, so now of course I pretty much HAVE to now! I mean, Ashton Irwin told me to!

"Best Years" is one of 5SOS's best love songs and best songs on CALM. But while it is initially taken romantically, it can also be referred to as any other type of love, as proven when they performed it for Red Nose Day 2020. It's not lovey dovey, but rather emphasizes that even through tough times, the love will still be there. It's realistically romantic and beautiful. It's also a heavy Luke Hemmings ballad. He is the only writer of the four on this one and his voice is the most prominent.

8) "Not In The Same Way"

Okay...so like, this is where the record begins to go a bit downhill for me. It's not that we've hit rock bottom now and I don't like these next few songs, because like I said, I love this entire album. It's just that the highlight of the album has now passed and these songs are kind of...just the rest of the album.

Not everything can be Superbloom, perfection from beginning to end, you know! :P

But now, thanks to Ashton's livestream, I might have to eat my words. There is more to these songs than I portray here, but I am still entitled to my own thoughts about them too.

I'm between "Not In The Same Way" and "High" as my least favorite. We'll get into "High" more later, but for me, "Not In The Same Way" is the most annoying song on CALM for me.

...

BOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm sorry! Look, I don't hate this song, but it's just...the way they sing the title, the way they sing any word that ends in "o" ("psychooooo," "let goooooo"), when they go "YEEEEEEEEEEEEH YEEEEH EEH" at the end...

You would think, judging by this, that I would feel the same way about the "TEEEEEETH" part in "Teeth," but nope. lol

I guess it's...NOT IN THE SAME WAY. Eh? Ehh??? ;)

Awhile back, another 5SOS Twitter fan account ran a CALM competition among fans for fun to help promote the album, splitting the album into two teams: Team Red and Team Blue. I was a proud unofficial member of Team Red (meaning that I just rooted for them and didn't contribute much lol), because they awesomely represented ALL of my favorite songs from CALM, BUT this song was included as well and it was the odd one out for me lol: "Teeth" (OBVIOUSLY I would root for this one), "Old Me," "Red Desert,"  "Best Years," "Not In The Same Way," and "Lonely Heart." I even said it. LOL 

I still listen to "Not In The Same Way" to value the good of it and even to reconsider the parts of it that I don't like. It's not that bad and I'm okay with it, but it's just not in my top rankings. lol I do like that Ashton describes it as having a hip hop rhythm because it does seem like a good song for a hip hop dance routine. 

But here, let me compliment it too. The way the music's rhythm is and how Luke sings the verses sounds like he's ranting, wavering back and forth and confused. It's very appropriate delivery for what the song is about.

9) "Lover Of Mine"

"Lover Of Mine" is just another love song to me. "Best Years" is the better love song of the two, but the special thing about this one is that Luke's girlfriend Sierra Deaton wrote it with him. While "Best Years" is a love note from Luke, "Lover Of Mine" is a love note from Luke and Sierra to each other. What I get from this song is how love overcomes all or overcoming obstacles for love. 

It's nice, but I'm not one to rave about it much. My favorite part of the song is this instrumental at the end. I'm not sure what instrument that is (Is it keyboard?), but it is bewitching. I keep thinking about how picturesque it would be for a couple to perform a choreographed routine to it (also considering the lyrics mentioning dancing in the living room).

10) "Thin White Lies"

I feel like this song is the least known of the album. Sometimes I feel like people forget that it even exists. I consider "Thin White Lies" and "Not In The Same Way" sister songs because they are both located in the second half of the record, each directly after a slow love song, and chant their titles in the refrains, but "Thin White Lies" is slightly more for me. 

Yeah, I'll admit that when I first saw the title of this song, I was immediately reminded of One Direction's "Little White Lies." However, they obviously don't have the same messages. I even saw a YouTube comment about how the song's title is a pun for "thin white lines," a metaphor for cocaine.

Ashton said that this song is more about looking within yourself and suffering and overcoming inner conflicts and addictions. Anyone can relate to that. Given this, I feel like it would probably have fit well on Superbloom.

So yeah, I don't have a lot to say about this one, only that I like the menacing vibe of it. I also really like the drums at 2:05. The drums in Miley Cyrus's "Gimme What I Want" remind me a lot of this part.

11) "Lonely Heart"

CALM picks up a bit again for me with "Lonely Heart." I remember how hyped I was when I first heard this one, thus making me love these guys that much more during my first listening session. I was punching my couch. lol

"Lonely Heart" is one of my favorites from CALM and it's the album's most underrated. I think the reason why I get so excited about it is because of its surprise factor. It starts off slow, so you think it is going to remain at that pace, but then all of a sudden it goes "such a, SUCH A LONELY HEAAAAAAARRRT!" Omg. It's so good. I feel like this song is very similar to "Red Desert" for some reason.

I actually need to correct myself here. I said and thought that "Red Desert" was the first song that they wrote for this album by themselves, when really it was "Lonely Heart." This is probably why I find the songs similar as well and love both. "Lonely Heart" too was written by just the four of them and produced by Matthew Pauling. According to Ashton, it was the first song that they wrote and recorded for the album. (Actually, as of October 2021, I just rewatched the interview they did with Ash London dissecting the album, and Ashton does say that "Red Desert" was the first song that they wrote for the album, which is where I got that information from in the first place. So now I don't know what to think! Which is it, Ash?? LOL!)

I sometimes compare this song to "Meet You There" from the Youngblood deluxe edition because they both have repetitive chants in their bridges. "Meet You There" goes "This time or next time, you know I'll meet you there" over and over again, whereas "Lonely Heart" goes "Lonely, It ain’t nothing new, Nothing new to me, Nothing new to you" over and over again. This is punctuated with Luke singing "heeeeaaaarrrt ooooOOOooooh..." and...it's immaculate. 

12) "High"

"High" is the most boring song on the album for me. It's slow-paced and there's no build up like there is for "Lonely Heart." I wasn't excited about it at first. If you want to listen to a depressing lullaby, this is the song for you.

That sounds kinda mean, but that is the perfect way to describe this song. 

HOWEVER, it is also a very beautiful song. The more I listen to it, the more I like and appreciate it. It's like classical music. Though it's not my favorite and it can get a little dull for me, that doesn't take away the beauty of it or mean that I dislike it entirely. It's just my preferences and how I respond to them. I usually go for more upbeat music, so that's pretty much all it is. Although, slow songs are not to be disregarded and are deep and relaxing too. CALMing, if you will. :)

The lyrics are very sincere and Luke is very self-reflective and accepting that even though he is a better man now, the person he hurt may never recognize this ("Today I called to tell you that I'm changing/But I don't think you have enough respect to see me try," "The picture that you paint of me looks better in your mind"). When the guys harmonize, especially at the end with the "ladada ladada dada ladada oooooo," it's very pretty. 

Ashton compared "High" to The Beatles' "Across the Universe" and I now hear the influence too.

I want to address something that Ashton said about the "The picture that you paint of me looks better in your mind" line. According to him, the intention of this lyric is to show that the person the narrator has hurt has more faith in him changing than he does. I, however, have instead interpreted this lyric as saying that the person he has hurt would rather just remember the bad he has done and is therefore unwilling to respect or even acknowledge the new him. It's interesting how one line could have two entirely opposing views for people. However, the line that comes before it might align better with Ashton's explanation. Plus, it's his song, so I'm probably wrong here. lol

"High" is like their one song that doesn't have any percussion either. It's just piano and vocals, so it's a removal from what they usually do.

13) "Kill My Time"

HOLY SH--! I was forgetting about this one! Which is stupid because it's one of the best songs on the album! LOL!

"Kill My Time" wasn't released on the original album but rather initially on a CALM PLUS1 to raise funds for COVID-19 and then later as a digitally released bonus track. Though the song's initial purpose was an honorable one, from what I see, CALM PLUS1 is also another edition of a physical copy of CALM that I was complaining about before. lol So yes, therefore I am kinda upset that it isn't on EITHER of MY CALM CDS! LOL! But thankfully it's on Spotify and YouTube!

With the standard edition, the Target exclusive, the CALM PLUS 1, the CALM remixes, and the Japan deluxe edition commentary DVD (with videos that are on YouTube anyway), I stand corrected when I said before that CALM is the least confusing 5SOS album LOL. However, I will still defend my claim (a little bit lol) that CALM does seem the most simplistic of all of their music when it comes to this. Like, you're only missing one original song here when you purchase either the standard edition or the Target exclusive as opposed to like six others with Youngblood if you purchased only the standard edition of that album. But then again, the "From The Vault Live" versions and CALM remixes count as original tracks too...

You know what? Let's just talk about the song! My head hurts! LOL! XD Another reason to love Superbloom is that it is just the ten tracks and that's IT (the Superbloom Live Concert Film audio that you can stream is the only additional thing). But unfortunately, CDs for that album aren't available at all in the USA lol. The vinyl is/was available on Ashton's website and then Urban Outfitters and Target online though. 

(On March 18, 2022, they actually explained the Target Exclusive thing a bit more, so I thought that I'd include it here since I keep ranting and raving about it in this blog post. lol)

So, "Kill My Time" lol. I really like their callback to "Wildflower" in this song:

Wildflower, fingertips on me/I can feel them still

In fact, reading the lyrics for this song more, I'm noticing that "Kill My Time" seems to reference a lot of other 5SOS songs and even some Superbloom ones too. Intentional? ;)

5 Seconds of Summer, like other millennial musicians, has a tendency to produce and release 80s-sounding music lately. "Kill My Time" is their most 80s-sounding song on this album. I like that synth noise part...not sure how to explain but it's what makes the song really sound 80s lol. It's the one right after he goes "I don't want to kill my time with somebody else." Right here. What is that called? I like that! :D

~

I think it's safe to say that Youngblood is still 5SOS's most successful album by far right now. CALM unfortunately faced a lot of challenges regarding its promotion, particularly COVID-19 and the whole Billboard thing. However, it's cool to see the fans take it upon themselves to help promote CALM in other creative ways to make up for this. :) 

Though I like Youngblood and the stuff that they released prior and am looking forward to 5SOS5 (which should be interesting considering the developments that we know about going down with it thus far), CALM will always have a special place in my heart and be my favorite. It was released right when the coronavirus quarantine really kicked off, so therefore it gave me something nice to pay attention to when things looked hopeless, confusing, and scary. 5 Seconds of Summer is one of the main reasons why 2020 was partially pleasant for me with fond memories I have of listening to them, so I will forever be grateful to them for that. 

And it all started with me listening to this album. 

I feel sad that CALM didn't get the spotlight it deserves and everyone seems to kinda be moving passed it now (although 5SOS is planning on still touring it with the new music they're currently working on), but it will always be the album that made me a 5SOS fan. <3 Or rather, 5SOSfam. ;)

You bet I will be dedicated to listening to this album today! (And I was!)

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