Having long ago transitioned away from their early punk-influenced boy band sound, Australia's
5 Seconds of Summer
complete their transformation into a sophisticated pop outfit with 2020's ambitious
Calm
. Where 2018's
Youngblood
found the five-member outfit embracing a dance-oriented vibe,
finds them moving a step further and augmenting their hooky pop with strings, Latin rhythms, and light, '90s industrial goth elements a a
Depeche Mode
and
Nine Inch Nails
. It's a sound most clearly delineated on cuts like "No Shame" and "Teeth," where throbbing, effects-soaked basslines rub up against pulsing drum-machine beats and shimmering guitar arpeggios. Perhaps most evocative is "Easier," a slow-burn club banger that, not surprisingly, sounds like
' "Animal" grafted onto a
Maroon 5
song. However, even with the alt-rock intimations, much of the band's sound remains grounded in mainstream pop via lead singer
Luke Hemmings
' R&B-influenced croon. The same can be said of the band's songwriting, which never veers too far afield of the
/
Imagine Dragons
' end of the pop spectrum. Some of the credit to the group's inventive stylistic mashup can go to their production/songwriting collaborators here, including at various times
Louis Bell
,
Charlie Puth
Happy Perez
, and
Andrew Watt
. And while the '90s
Trent Reznor
-goes-pop aesthetic is carried throughout much of the album, there are other, just as prominent stylistic influences at play as they dive into steamy, Latin-tinged pop with "Red Desert," call-back their EDM influences on "Old Me," and draw upon an infectious '80s-style dance pop on "Wildflower."
is the sound of a band whose influences have continued to evolve right along with them and their fans. ~ Matt Collar