Album review: Calum Hood – ORDER chaos ORDER

“Relationship status: still in the band,” Calum Hood’s Spotify bio affirms. Though they remain a concrete unit with their fifth album landing in 2022, the members of 5 Seconds Of Summer have been on diverging paths in the closing chapters of their 20s. Luke Hemmings fell into dreamy, indie-inflected alt.pop. Ashton Irwin chased the sugary peppiness of the ’80s. And recently, as he embraced off-kilter pop rock, Michael Clifford snogged Awsten Knight on camera (nice).

Now, it’s their bassist’s turn to distil his own sounds and stories into an album with his name on the cover. Who is Calum Hood when he’s not Calum from 5SOS? If nothing else, he thinks deeply, and feels everything. In fact, just seconds into opener Don’t Forget You Love Me, in an Ian Curtis-aping tone, he’s singing about 'Crying out my eyes / And I’m sitting there wondering / If I wanna be alive.' Despite the vibrant, zesty chords that ring out beneath his voice, he sings its chorus’ 'love me' refrain in a genuinely desperate tone.

Still, the time-honoured combination of summery music and dark lyrics is one he does well. Call Me When You Know Better’s jittery rhythms and chunky computer game noise synths lend an upbeat contrast to his laments of a complicated relationship – 'I talk a lot to drown my tears,' he confesses.

As successful as this might be, the most interesting moments are where things become slower and dreamier. The dreamy Sunsetter is a gorgeous experiment melding pop with the shifting layers of shoegaze, an unexpected yet intriguing touch that draws out the nuance in Calum’s ear. Elsewhere, All My Affection is gentler and more tactile but just as atmospheric, while hazy closer Three Of Swords offers a beautiful crescendo to bring it home with.

While you certainly come away from ORDER chaos ORDER having become much more well acquainted with his inner world, more significantly, it’s thrown light on just how much Calum is capable of.

Verdict: 4/5

For fans of: The Maine, EKKSTACY, Luke Hemmings

ORDER chaos ORDER is out June 13 on EMI