Rebel At Heart
Australian musician, Ashton Irwin, famously known for his role as drummer in the pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer, just released his second solo album. The title BLOOD ON THE DRUMS reveals an oath to his instrument and acts as a metaphor for “givin’ it all” to passion and hard work. However, there is more to Irwin than slamming sticks. His singing is principal in these solo tracks, giving a new voice to meaningful emotions.
Having his Harry Styles moment, Irwin learns to fly on his own and begins to “see the angels.” The album is a step forward for male pop revivalism in recent pop culture. Summer 24’ has been dominated by our leading ladies, like Charli xcx, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan. So much so, fans began to wonder where all the pop men went. At just the right time, Irwin drops 16 upbeat tracks that put men back on the map.
BLOOD ON THE DRUMS is reminiscent of the 5SOS tone with more modernity and oomph. On top of that, Irwin adds his own ’80s lens colored with acoustic guitar and shades of alt-indie. Some tracks reveal clear creative influences; for example, “Marry You” is polyrhythmic like Blondie, and “California Holds Her Breath” is strung up like George Harrison. “The Canyon” draws inspiration from The Police with its reggae downbeat and accented lyrical flow. Some of Irwin’s vocal performances are even similar to Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day.
Irwin kicks off the album with a drum beat that shoots “Straight To Your Heart” and concludes with a breeze of psychedelic rock. Everywhere in between he tackles deep topics and “Wicked Habit”s that take over his brain. In the track “Breakup,” Irwin urges an ex to break up with their new lover and come back to him. In “Lose You,” Irwin worries about ruining “the best thing I’ve ever had.” In “Wicked Habit,” he chases the poisonous addiction of toxic love. But overall it’s better not to resist change, he concludes in “Endless Wave.”
Lyrically “The Canyon” is a perception of male suicide, “Many men are victim to the canyon / I don’t see nobody taking action.” He specifically acknowledges daddy issues entangled with toxic masculinity and how life makes it hard to deny sadness. The structure takes a shift around minute three where both the lyrics and instrumentation reflect the freedom of falling. First, we experience a vigorous buildup, “Fire in your head, lonely in your heart / Rip the world apart, rip the world apart.” Irwin shouts the lonely hook and lays it all down on the drums. Then suddenly we are gifted with the calm after the storm, “My soul lady, levitate me / Take me to the sky.”
Irwin is unafraid to talk about his devils and darkness. This record reflects all the highs and lows that come with having a heart. In “Indestructible” he even speaks of someone with “cold blood beating” from “a severed heart” and how certain darkness can turn people into monsters. No matter how many times his head will turn towards the “Little Spark”s of oxytocin and serotonin, or his hands will roll till there’s “BLOOD ON THE DRUMS,” Irwin proves that he can always circle back to the “Glory Days” when he was “still a child, overdosing on the fun.”
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