Label: Interscope
Press release: 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) will release CALM – their fourth studio album and first for Interscope Records – on March 27. Says lead vocalist Luke Hemmings, “For a band to make it to four albums is no small feat in itself but to be reinventing and constantly pushing our songwriting and to come out with music that we’ve never been more proud of makes me so happy to be in 5 Seconds of Summer. CALM speaks on a journey through a young man’s life, for better or for worse. We are all human and all make mistakes, sometimes we hurt the ones we love and inevitably, ourselves in the process.
My thoughts: Calm shows that 5SOS have found their lane as they're able to perfectly combine their pop sensibilities that the label wants to see, along with the emo influences they grew up on and the sound experimentation that the boys are playing around with now. On one hand the guitars are grinding, the next the bass is thumping and then we get hit with some synth beats. Upon first full listen the singles seem to be the highlights but to be fair that makes up half the album thus far.
Label: Fearless Records
Press release: Guardians is the name of the new album. It's their eighth overall, and it's on target for an April 3 street date via Fearless Records. the group is calling it one of their most collaborative efforts to date. Guitarist JB Brubaker says, "Guardians is the culmination of a complete and total team effort. Dustin and I collaborated musically more than we ever have before. Jake and Brent collaborated vocally more than they ever have before. Matt bounced more drum ideas off of us than we could even comprehend. It was the most time we've ever spent in the studio on one album. We're all so proud of this record, and we can't wait to share it with the world."
My thoughts: Guardians first single Defender is by far the strongest track on this record. That's not to say that the rest of Guardians is subpar, ABR is by far one of the most consistent band in metalcore. The blastbeats are always strong, the breakdowns are intense and the shouts are always on point. The problem with consistency is that it leaves less room for growth. If you hear a random track from Guardians or from their first album with Jake Luhrs on vocals you'd think they'd be on the same album from the same place in time.
Taurids - EP
Label: Self-released
Press release: Singer Will Pugh of Cartel announced a new side-project today saying "I started writing this a long time ago and finished it last year. I’m so excited to share this with everyone now because it was gonna be a while before we released this. With the situation at hand, it seemed like the universe was telling me “now”. The lyrical content and the overall theme of this EP are suited for what we’re all going through.
My thoughts: Cartel was one of my favourite bands of all time, mostly on the strength of Will's vocals. I'm sad they autotuned him up on this despite the fact that that's where the industry is going I hoped it'd keep it clean. Down Here is the highlight as a mid tempo bop with a dreamy synth providing the backdrop along with the regular instrumentation and of course the closest we get to classic Will vocals.
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