5 Seconds of Summer Members Tell How a Jamming Retreat in Joshua Tree Led to the Self-Produced ‘5SOS5’

variety.com:

Mike Wass The group 5 Seconds of Summer gets back to basics on “5SOS5,” writing and producing the bulk of the band’s fifth album in-band.

What began as pandemic-related precaution soon turned into an opportunity to recalibrate their sound in an authentic way. After all, they launched as a teenage pop-punk outfit in 2014 and then proceeded to reinvent themselves on each subsequent project, detouring into the worlds of Top 40, electronica and R&B.

The Australian rockers started recording the album — which arrives this weekend — in late 2020 in Joshua Tree, CA. “We went up there with no expectations,” says guitarist Michael Clifford, who also doubled as producer. “We were still in the thick of the pandemic and none of us were really ready to write.” While tempted to cancel the trip, the band decided to simply go and hang out.

Before too long, they were jamming and songs started taking shape in the hot Californian desert. Frontman Luke Hemmings knew that they were on to something after writing eventual lead single “Complete Mess,” a soaring rock ballad with a psychedelic twist. “When we wrote it everything kind of clicked into place,” he says. “We knew we could make good music by ourselves.” As that first batch of songs came together, the band decided on its new sonic direction — namely, that the album’s off-the-cuff creation should be reflected in the production. “A lot of this stuff was recorded in one take,” Clifford reveals. “The vocals of ‘Take My Hand’ come from the very first demo tape that Luke recorded, while the drum and bass on ‘Bloodhound’ were Calum and Ash playing at the same time in the room.” It gave the songs a loose, warm sound that inspired the rockers to go even bigger. “We wanted it to sound raw and