Blaqk Audio’s Beneath the Black Palms and 5 Seconds of Summer’s Calm were both drastically different listening experiences, but enjoyable in their own ways. Yes, this means I am still trying to make my way through some 2020 releases that have been on my list this year.
First up was Blaqk Audio’s fourth full-length album, Beneath the Black Palms. Right off the bat I love the title of that album, and the cover art was equally as cool. They even had several different options for the vinyl available, like just pink or a trio of neon colors (so. cool.). Anyways, it’s always hard for me to believe that this duo is made up of AFI’s Davey Havok and Jade Puget only because the music sounds so different! It’s a synth-heavy dream paired with Havok’s beautiful and unique vocals.
With that being said, I think I will always love AFI more, but that doesn’t mean I don’t like to switch it up every once in a while. This album deserves to be played at a club, or performed live in a club setting because it is meant to be danced to! In contrast to their other efforts, this one did see a little more rock heavy, but it still blended well with the thumping beats. Perhaps my favorite song off the record was “Zipper Don’t Work” because it was infectious from start to finish. Also, that title is sort of hilarious. Not my favorite record that these two have to offer, but I’ll take new music from any of the AFI guys any day!
Next up was 5 Seconds of Summer’s latest studio effort, Calm. For me, even though they are legitimately a band, I can’t help but lump them in with the boy band crowd because they were synonymous with One Direction for a time. That was more because Louis Tomlinson recognized talent, but I will say, with this new record I feel like I am being transported back into a One Direction record. A more mature one for sure, but still.
I say that because the traditional guitar, bass, and drums don’t show up in all the tracks. Not that it’s a bad thing, but when you couple that with the fact that all four guys in the band sing, then you sort of have a boy band. Just my opinion. Anyways, the whole record is not that way, but it sort of transforms into the produced sounds as the track list ticks off. It does start with some harder instrumentals, but it ultimately ends on a softer note. However, the cohesive element of the album is definitely centered around love. Or heartbreak rather. It’s pretty evident in songs like “Not in the Same Way” and “Thin White Lies.” Overall, I liked the more mature sound and lyrical content coming from this effort. I even hope to see them live someday!