5SOS Overhauled Their Self-Care Routines. Then They Made 'CALM.'
“How’s the quarantine been for you?”
“Well, it’s all perspective, isn’t it?”
It’s bizarre to talk to Ashton Irwin and Luke Hemmings, members of the Australian rock band 5 Seconds of Summer, about the states of our mental health from each of our living rooms. But when I had the chance to chat with the duo over a Zoom meeting, a chat which had been delayed because of the ongoing pandemic, the duo confessed that in spite of what's happening outside of their front doors, they also have a lot to look forward to.
Since 2011, the band (known as 5SOS by their fans) has had a few hit-singles under their belt, including “She Looks So Perfect,” “Jet Black Heart,” and “Youngblood," along with three number one albums. Their 2018 album, Youngblood, beat out Beyoncé and Jay-Z's 'Everything Is Love' in its first week.
For the group, releasing new music has been long overdue. (They started writing the album while on tour two years ago.) Now, and amid quarantine, they’ve been separated for weeks. “It’s been odd not to be together at the moment,” Hemmings tells me, “but we wrote these songs a long time ago, and it’s nice that people will be able to hear them in its entirety.”
Unlike the band’s last three, darker albums, their new record “CALM” is a direct reflection of the group taking care of themselves after years of being on the road. “We matured and started looking after ourselves,” Irwin says. “We all did our best to up our game with our health, and you can see that in our music and creative process with how bright the album is.”
“A lot of our earlier songs were about relationships and tragedy within that,” Irwin explains to me. “But now, a lot of our songs are evolving into a philosophical and spiritual place. A little more soul, and I like that.”
As the band ventures into their ninth year performing together, the guys are taking into account that their health—both mental and physical—needs to be in check to stay creative. “We wanted to bring mindfulness into Five Seconds of Summer’s output because we wanted to be focused on positive things,” says Irwin.
The group's version of mindfulness apparently includes taking extended breaks from social media, listening to meditation apps, (they recently teamed with the Calm app in time for the album's release), and weekly yoga sessions for Irwin. “Being on the road is not really a creative place a lot of the time,” says Hemmings. “If you don’t take the time at home—or literally anywhere but the road—and you don’t understand yourself, how are you going to write about what’s going on around you or in the world?”
“A little while ago, we chose to let our music be at the forefront of our creativity rather than our internet personality,” Irwin explains. “It’s done wonders to our careers, our mental health. It’s done a lot of things for us that have been positive.”
The band is also taking more time to focus on their physical health. According to Irwin, it’s actually rather convenient for them that the quarantine limits their ability to go to the gym, because the band is used to doing their CrossFit and high-intensity cardio workouts within the confines of small dressing rooms. “We’ve been training for something like this since we were teenagers,” says Irwin. “The familiarity of using tight spaces to work out is nothing new to us.”
Their advice for getting through workouts during the quarantine? Just make it through 20 minutes to get your heart-rate going. “Oxygen is key to boosting your serotonin,” Irwin explains matter-of-factly. “It helps boost your ability to think clearly and make positive decisions rather than gluing yourself to the couch and waiting for [the quarantine] to be over."
Irwin's also a fan of ice baths, a practice he has frequently documented on Instagram. As it turns out, Irwin is proudly ten months sober from alcohol abuse. Now, he uses baths as an affirmation of having overcome his very personal and very real struggle. “I was posting the ice baths because that was a highlight and statement to people that I am doing this every single day on tour,” he tells me. “They were a part of me proving that my mind is stronger than my addictions and it was an outward expression of motivating myself.”
A post shared by Ashton Irwin (@ashtonirwin) on Sep 25, 2019 at 12:39pm PDT
Now, the duo is proud of their respective journeys, nine years in the making. “I think we are more well-rounded as humans and better men at the end of the day,” says Hemmings.
Irwin echoes his bandmate’s sentiments. “We still have dreams and we get excited about making new albums," he says. "The best part about being in this band is knowing that the next [phase] will be different all over again.”
You can buy or stream "CALM" now.
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