On Sept. 24, Ashton Irwin of the Australian pop-punk band 5 Seconds of Summer, better known as 5SOS, released the first single from his upcoming solo album, “Superbloom.” The second single “Have U Found What Ur Looking For” premiered on YouTube just a few days later on Oct. 2.
In contrast to the fun pop-punk songs that 5SOS is known for, Irwin implied that his debut album has more serious, personal undertones. The record is labeled “Alternative” on iTunes.
“The album explores my inner philosophies and feelings about the walk of life I have found myself on. I am ridiculously excited to share this with you, it feels like this record has been over a decade in the making,” Irwin said in his album announcement on Instagram.
Irwin, like many artists, took the unexpected free time of COVID isolation to write music and reflect on his life, struggles, and aspirations. “Skinny Skinny” is about his battle with body dysmorphia and body image over the course of his life and career.
A conversation with his 16 year old brother about the struggle of double standards and the influence of the media on the way people view their bodies ultimately inspired the song.
“When writing this song I thought of myself and many other young people’s struggles with body image, particularly body dysmorphia. It’s something I’ve never confronted in a creative form & I’m feeling strong in saying ‘Skinny Skinny’ goes directly to that painful place in my mind,” the songwriter tweeted on Sept. 23.
The “Skinny Skinny” music video that dropped with the song shows a new, vulnerable side to Irwin that had not been completely realized in his collaborative music with 5SOS. In the video, Irwin interpretively dances in front of a wall of funhouse mirrors to represent his complicated dissonance between the way he views his body and his body in reality.
Irwin addresses this complicated relationship in the lyrics to the song, as well. In the post-chorus, Irwin passionately belts, “I wanna eat, I wanna stay thin / I wanna dance but I gotta stay in.”
It is interesting to note that despite the fact that Irwin is known for playing the drums in 5SOS, his lead single features no such percussion. This noticeable absence could arguably make the song more meaningful, as it makes the listeners forget everything they think they know about him and accept this new direction on his journey.
Though the news of Irwin’s solo album is wonderful, many fans are wondering what this means for 5SOS. Is Irwin leaving the band to pursue a solo career? Luckily, that does not seem to be the case.
“It brings me the greatest joy of all that I am in a band that allows me to create freely inside and outside of it,” he said on Instagram, implying that he wrote the album as a personal side project and that it will not interfere with the band.
The 10-song album is set to release on Oct. 23, about a month after its announcement.
Featured Image courtesy of Tami Irwin via Flickr Creative Commons
