Introduction

Last month, Luke Hemmings—of the Australian pop rock boy band 5 Seconds of Summer—released his second album, boy, so I figured now would be a good time to get started on his solo music! 

When Facing the Things We Turn Away From is such a great title for a pandemic album. We all did a lot of that during the pandemic, especially people with busy lives who had to take a break. Around this time, he also announced his engagement to his now-wife. This was a time of change for Mr. Luke Hemmings, so I’m expecting a lot of that to come through in this album—the emotions of positive and negative changes happening all at once. 

I’m hesitant to look too much into whatever news is happening around Luke Hemmings currently, because I don’t want it to affect my opinions of his next album. (For context, I usually do this research part after the rest of the post has been written. I’m so sneaky!) So I’ll probably have more knowledge about Mr. Hemmings when I get around to reviewing boy. 

But you’re not here for a Luke Hemmings biography; you’re here for my expert boy band music opinions! On with the critiques!

When Facing the Things We Turn Away From (2021) by Luke Hemmings

“Starting Line”: Oh, wow, I wasn’t expecting to start with some heavenly piano music, but here we go; I guess we’re jumping right into the emotions. The background music gets weirdly cheery after the first chorus despite the lyrics remaining melancholy. 

This song is all about growing up famous and feeling like you’ve missed out on some things. You feel like you’ve wasted time. “I think I missed the gun at the starting line” is such a perfect way to describe feeling like you haven’t done enough, like you got a late start in life and are constantly trying to catch up and forget the years you feel you “lost.” 

This whole song feels very bittersweet. 

“Saigon”: Okay, we’re chilling here with a slow beat. Very R&B. This song makes it abundantly obvious that this is a pandemic album at heart, if the title and release date hadn’t already done so. There’s this message of how we often don’t appreciate things while they’re happening, and instead of having lovely memories, we’re stuck with a sadness when they’re over. 

“Motion”: On song three, it’s obvious that this entire album will have the same ’80s synth pop inspiration. Which I don’t mind, I just didn’t expect it from a 5SOS member! The only bad thing is that all three of these songs so far have sounded pretty similar. Except the guitar in this one is much more present than in the first two, which is fun. 

“I’m just a makeup of words that I spin” = chef’s kiss! I love that this song talks about not being able to trust yourself, because I feel like a lot of songs talk about this only in the context of a relationship. 

“Place In Me”: Alright, alright, this is certainly different. The simple guitar strumming juxtaposes really well with the autotuned background vocals. It’s an interesting blend of the synthetic and the natural. 

This song makes me feel very sad for Mr. Hemmings… It’s a reconciliation song of the “I lashed out because I was hurting” variety. I can certainly relate to that. 

“Baby Blue”: “I’m on my way to wonderland / Take off my suit and wander in / For a moment or stay for a lifetime.” I love these lyrics. This is a great song about escapism and how it becomes more dangerous when we get older and cling to vices. It’s got a very dreamy feel to it, too, which matches the message well. 

“Repeat”: Ooh, I love the guitar picking in this song. It’s got more character than the vocals, which I think creates an interesting atmosphere. And then the guitar blends more with the vocals in the chorus. The lyrics seem to be about a Past Luke and Present Luke looking at each other and seeing strangers. Not the most original theme, but a relatable one nonetheless. 

“Mum”: This song is kind of eerie… And sad, too. (That’s called “melancholy,” yesterday Ryn!) Like, Mr. Hemmings, why you gotta make me so emotional? This song is beautiful. He’s apologizing to his mom for becoming distant, for changing while away, for not leaning on her when he’s hurting. He’s assuring her that, while he may seem like he’s not as close to her, he’s really just floundering. It’s about missing youth, when you have someone you can rely on for everything. Someone like a mom. 

“Slip Away”: This song is another emotional ballad, but I have to say, all of these songs seem to have the same vocals. There’s not much variety here (though the vocals are still super impressive). Perhaps this is just because I prefer only one or two ballads on an album. But even with the monotony of the vocals, this the third song in a row that has made me feel something, and that’s what good art is supposed to do! We can all relate to seeing a relationship fall apart that we had a part in sabotaging. 

“Diamonds”: I spoke too soon! The vibe has gotten a tiny bit more upbeat, and the vocals are more than just a smooth falsetto. This has “running in slow motion toward the camera” vibes. (Like Harry Styles’s “Golden” music video.)

OOF. These lyrics are… a bit too relatable, man. “I’m so much older than I ever thought I would be … I’m so much colder than I ever wanted to be.”

Side Note: According to Genius Lyrics, this song is partially inspired by the cover of a book Hemmings’s then-fiancée (now-wife) gave him: How Far Is Far? by Alvin Tresselt. Cool! 

“A Beautiful Dream”: This kind of sounds like an organ? I feel like I’m in a dreamy version of church. 

Apparently, a voicemail from Hemmings’s mom creates the voices at the beginning and end of the song. That’s so cute. Certified Momma’s Boy. 

Okay, okay, now I’m in space. We’ve got alien vibes. We’ve got organ music. We’ve got a “time moves too fast” message. I like that, even though the song is melancholy and nostalgic, it’s pointing out that there are good moments, even if they’re fleeting. Which makes the brevity of these lyrics much more meaningful. 

“Bloodline”: Now we’re getting sad again… “How am I gonna know if I’m never alone?” is a sentiment I imagine lots of people can relate to, but I am often a victim of my own introversion and am alone a bit too much. However, I can relate to the overall message of the song, which is that we have some control over who we become if we step back and think about it. 

I kind of feel like this could be a Florence + the Machine song, to be honest. 

“Comedown”: I’ve always thought that Luke Hemmings and Harry Styles have similar singing voices, and this song is also showing a similar lyrical style, with universal specifics, repetition, and changing vocal speeds. Genius Lyrics told me that a lot of the references are to Hemmings’s fiancée, which is another MO similar to Harry Styles. 

Though this is another guitar ballad, it’s got a much more hopeful tone to it. There’s that “life kinda sucks but maybe it will suck less in the future” message that I always love. It’s important that the negative, positive, and neutral all have a place in life, and so they should all have a place in art. 

Conclusion

It’s clear from all of these songs that Luke Hemmings is a very talented vocalist and lyricist, but there just wasn’t enough variety in the music to make me like the album as a whole. Individually, great songs, very emotional, but for a full album, just too much of the same. 

However, I am still looking forward to boy, because according to People, Luke Hemmings said that he “finally found a sound” with this sophomore album. On the promotional art, he’s got fun makeup on that makes me think it’ll be kind of an ’80s goth or dance pop album, which I would love. So until next time, happy listening!

-Ryn PB