Michael Clifford & Calum Hood

Single reviews by Gabrielle (Gabby) Groves

Best known for their multi-platinum hit ‘Youngblood’ and the 2014 Song of the Year winner at the ARIA Music Awards for ‘She Looks So Perfect,’ Australian pop-rock band 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) has millions of die-hard fans all over the world. In the past few years, they’ve released albums such as 5SOS5 and The Feeling of Falling Upwards (Live from The Royal Albert Hall), with the latter including live versions of their biggest songs recorded at the historic venue in London. While they are still going strong as a band, each member has developed their own solo music projects in the last five years, all of which have achieved great levels of success both inside and outside of the band’s fandom. 

Drummer Ashton Irwin was first to go solo when he released three singles and his album Superbloom in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2024, he followed it up with the double album BLOOD ON THE DRUMS. Vocalist Luke Hemmings then released his first album in 2021, When Facing the Things We Turn Away From, which featured the single ‘Starting Line.’ He went on to release the 7-track album boy in 2024. Now, in 2025, guitarist Michael Clifford and bassist Calum Hood have released the first parts of their individual projects just a week apart from each other. 

At the end of March, Clifford announced his first single, ‘cool,’ and revealed the album cover. He shows off his colorful painted nails and covers his face, and the track’s title is displayed in retro lettering. ‘cool’ is a mix of upbeat pop and indie-rock where Clifford worries he isn’t enough for the person he’s interested in romantically. He repeatedly asks himself, “Am I cool enough?” throughout the song. He also left fans a couple of easter eggs within the bridge of the song while singing, “Confidence doesn't come so easily // When you're the guy who caught fire with the coloured hair // From the band with the song about underwear.” This references a lyric in ‘She Looks So Perfect,’ and a pyro incident he experienced onstage in 2015.

Since the release of ‘cool,’ Clifford’s marketing team has been working overtime. The 29-year-old has graced the cover of a special edition of Rock Sound Magazine, as well as Issue 19 of HATC Magazine, where he was candid about his mental health struggles. He has also appeared on SiriusXM Hits 1, Artist Friendly with Joel Madden, and ABC News Live Prime to discuss topics such as his new music, 5SOS, and being a father. The song has already surpassed one million streams on Spotify, and the music video has over half a million views. The video features Clifford on the set trying hard to adjust to the clothes they’ve given him.

Meanwhile, Hood was gearing up for the launch of his single, ‘Don’t Forget You Love Me, which was formally announced just two days before it was released. ‘Don’t Forget You Love Me’ takes on a darker tone compared to Clifford’s song with more of a somber alternative-rock sound. In the song, Hood sings about how he wishes he had reacted differently in a relationship, and asks the other person to remember they still love each other despite what happened between them. In the pre-chorus he sings, “'Cause on that last night // Instead of lookin' for a fight // I should've looked you in the eyes // 'Cause what it really was was me begging.” 

In the music video, Hood wears a suit with Converse sneakers in multiple settings as the world passes him by. He appears emotionally numb as everything falls apart around him. Many of the scenes feature him in a bedroom with hues of black and dark blue [similar to the album cover] that begins to start shaking and closing in on him. This is meant to line up with his breathing patterns in the video. At the end of the video, Hood inhales and takes a deep breath with the walls mimicking his actions.

Both Clifford and Hood have also announced their respective debut albums to be released. As of writing, Clifford’s album is titled SIDEQUEST but does not yet have an official release date. Hood’s album is named ORDER chaos ORDER and comes out June 13, 2025. Of his album, Hood said, “There are things I’ve never been able to sing about in the band—my upbringing, my family, the places life has taken me. This album is about laying those things to rest, and allowing listeners to connect in their own way."