Despite has a successful career with his famous band, 5 Seconds of Summer. The lead vocals and guitarist, Luke Hemmings make a new lead through his debut album, ‘When Facing the Things We Turn Away From’.
Jumped over pop rock genre, Hemmings created 12 cinematic, indie-sounding songs. With three absolute singles, “Starting Line”, “Motion” and “Place in Me”. Here’s to find out the intimate stories behind each track of his 12 songs.
Starting Line
As it called, this song is perfect to opening the whole album. Hemmings reflects that in this song he was trying to figure out the last 10 years of his life as in the band.
“It based around understanding and relinquishing things that are out of your control as human beings. Try and fill in all the gaps of the last 10 years,” he said, Nylon (13/8/21).
Saigon
Saigon is a place in Vietnam, his wife’s hometown as half Vietnamese. This song is about a trip that he took with his wife and met her family there.
“I think this was obviously a beautiful time and it was so freeing and so new and so awesome to share that with both of our mothers. It has a sad realization of best moment in our life.” he says, Nylon (13/8/21).
Motion
Hemmings admit he wrote a bunch of songs for this album, mostly at home. But he really challenged himself with this one and decide to went out to the woods in a cabin to write.
“We need to get out of our comfort zone and go somewhere else. I love all of the crazy synths, guitar tones and the way the song feels. That’s why the video has that feeling as well.” He tells, Nylon (13/8/21).
Place in Me
As he goes deep with lyrics and melody, Place in Me is special one as he says, “This song is interesting because on every other song I was very, for lack of better word, annoying, and very critical of every detail.”
Baby Blue
This one was written with his wife, Sierra. “I think it's interesting that this song on the album, it seems her writing on it has had that effect on this song, in comparison to the other songs on the album.” Luke adds.
Despite that, Hemmings said this song is cruisiest one the album and breezy at the same time. Like trying to escape from things and as you get older the means of escape is changing slowly.
Repeat
Repeat was inspired by Neil Young, how he really pay attention to detail on the lyrics. “For me, this song like endless feeling after chasing something for so long and ending up right back at the beginning, unrecognizable to yourself.”
Mum
This song is heavy song as Hemmings described about how he far away from his family in Australia.
“I’m looking back on all those years, I guess. You know I miss my mum every now and then. She heard it. She loved it. She enjoyed it. She probably cried.” He says, Nylon (13/8/21).
Slip Away
Hemmings took the meaning of the song as moment of undeserving happiness and how he revolves with that.
As he says, “That feeling before bed where you're thinking over every moment and scrutinizing and you can't sleep and it all swirls around in your head. That's where the feeling sort of resides,”
Diamonds
Diamonds about how Hemmings reflect back at his young age, be able to travel to places and experience new culture. “It’s beautiful thing that I was able and still able to do that, even with these songs looking back on it. I think it’s awesome.”
Beautiful Dream
“Beautiful Dream” sort of incluences in different ways, including Pink Floyd, War on Drugs, Bon Iver, Arcade Fire.
“It's written about, I don't know if you've ever heard the word Zenosyne, but it's the feeling that as you get older time moves quicker, or seems to move quicker. I find it difficult to remember anything.” Luke explains, Nylon (13/8/22).
Bloodline
Bloodline comes as an idea throughout the album but Hemmings tells he could never finish the song. Until in the last month before putting album together, he and Sierra finished it. “It sort of deals with looking back at negative things in your life and maybe the choices you made.”
Comedown
To ending the album, Hemmings decide to put Comedown to finish his entire ‘When Facing The Things We Turn Away From’. He tells that this song only take 20 minutes writing at the piano, at his home.
“Let it come down on me" being: let me feel all these things, the good, the bad, everything in between, instead of shutting all of that out and living in a numb place.” He adds.
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