Calum Hood’s Debut ‘chaos ORDER chaos’: The Album That Allowed My Adolescence To Finally Be Set Free.

I would say I’ve been in love with Calum Hood since I was 14. 

I vividly remember seeing him perform with 5 Seconds of Summer on their very first UK tour in Norwich UEA. The tickets were £13, a far cry from what you’d expect to pay for a 5SOS show nowadays. When we got there, I begged my Mum to buy me and my sister their merch, which resulted in us with matching t-shirts that we religiously wore for years after.

I ended up being right near the stage with my friend and a dream that Calum would see me and immediately fall in love. It’s silly isn’t it? When you’re 14 you are sure that a guy in a band, who is older than you by the way, will look out to the crowd through the blinding lights and see you in merch and ripped jeans (serious yuck, I know … but it was just a phase, Mum!) and fall in love with you. Spoiler alert: he didn’t. But, I was truly enamoured from the moment they hit the stage to the moment they left. Shouting lyrics, making signs, friends and cherishing moments with loved ones. 

We’ve both come a long way since then; he’s soared to international superstardom and, I, well, I’m slowly but surely carving my own path into the industry. 

If you, like countless girls (myself very much included … my twitter fan account wishes she could have spoken for herself!) had a 5 Seconds of Summer phase, then Calum’s voice was undeniably a constant in your own coming of age story. Now, as the latest of the 5SOS boys to embark on a solo journey, his debut album ‘chaos ORDER chaos’ feels like the poignant, yet incredibly hopeful, final piece of my own adolescence being respectfully set free. Left behind in the form of tickets and posters or merchandise tucked neatly in a box in my Nana’s attic. Nowadays I no longer worry about whether I’m going to get tickets to a show, but worry about rent or bills. Boring, I know.

The album explodes out of the gate with lead single ‘Don’t Forget You Love Me’, and honestly, how could I ever forget that I love Calum Hood?! It’s an immediate catchy and anthemic invitation into his new world. His mellowed vocals ricochet through an infectious eighties-inspired instrumental, powered by crashing drums and the repeated shouts of “don’t you forget!” into the void, towards the end of the track. The lyrics feel like a direct and vulnerable confession, perfectly crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s for what’s to come. “What if it was, what if it wasn’t? ‘Cause I’ve been dreaming of a life, while I was running down the wrong street.” This opening track doesn’t just grab your attention; it lays bare the core anxieties and introspections of self-doubt and seeking purpose that resonates through the entire record. It’s an incredible track to kick things off,  balancing that delicate blend of vibrant sound and raw emotional honesty from the first second moving forwards. 

The album’s title ‘chaos ORDER chaos’ immediately resonated with me – it’s more than just a name, it’s a narrative that perfectly captures the sometimes tumultuous but ultimately clarifying journey of growing up. As someone who encountered Calum’s music in my formative years, this album hits differently. It offers a mature reflection on the very transitions I’ve experienced myself, a mirror reflecting the beautiful disarray and eventual understanding that defines letting go of one’s youth.

‘chaos ORDER chaos’ showcases a nuanced evolution I’ve been extremely eager to hear. Layered instruments create an album that completely takes me away, crafting songs that stick in your head and stay in your heart. Calum takes everything he’s learnt in 5SOS and applies it in a way that creates spacey soundscapes paired with thought provoking lyrics of love, loss but crucially, also carrying hope for things to get better – for Calum to get better, for life to get better, for things to truly work out in the way they’re supposed too. His vocals, always a grounding presence, a steady pulse, now possess a raw vulnerability and a refined warmth that takes you in and makes you not want to let go. 

Because that’s all we’re trying to do, isn’t it really? Live our lives to the fullest, and whatever happens, well it happens. Love comes and it goes, but to be able to say you loved someone, at some point, is an achievement, is it not? Sometimes you’ve got to swallow down your pride, just like you would with your favourite glass of red wine. No matter how much it kinda sucks in the moment, you’ve just got to take things as they come. That’s all you can do sometimes. Own up to the fact that you didn’t do your best in a situation, how you might have handled it wrong, but at the end of the day you’re just a human living life for the first time and trying to get through. That’s what you’re doing, that’s what Calum’s doing and that’s what I’m doing, so let’s be a little easy on ourselves okay?

Each song on ‘chaos ORDER chaos’ feels like something ripped out from journal pages, when you’re up late at night trying to find some conclusion to your whirring thoughts in order for you to lay your head down and rest. There are moments of soaring emotional release, reminiscent of the chaos of unbridled feeling, followed by tracks filled with a sort of ‘thoughtful order’ hinting at a newfound clarity or acceptance.

Then there’s a track like ‘Sunsetter’ which feels so dreamy and sweet, truly feeling like a new start, a musical chronicle of turning over a new leaf and pinning your vision forwards. As my dad used to say, “One step at a time angel pie, one step at a time.” In all of its luscious grandeur with an ending instrumental that winds and loops, feeling delightfully chaotic (because even chaos can be good for you) while his vocals remain a steady anchor, as always. Pulling you back in when you begin to drift off to far, letting you know that he’s there, just as you are for him. 

And then there’s ‘Endless Ways’, which starts off as this pretty soundscape, talking filtering through, laughs fading in and out, reminding you of summer days that turn a little hazy after too many of those frozen margaritas you like. Drawing you in slowly, before it transforms into this addictive track that utterly consumes you. Takes over the senses, or something like that at least and it instantly reminds me of bands like MGMT or Passion Pit, blending the sweetness of indie-pop with an undeniable drive. 

The ebb and flow creates an experience that is both cathartic and contemplative. It’s an album that perfectly understands the bittersweet ache of looking back, while resolutely stepping forward. And honestly, sometimes a confirmation that the journey, however winding it might be, has led you to a place of honest, beautiful artistry is all you need. Nothing more, nothing less.

And that no matter where in life you go, what you do, who you become, you’ll always return to what your fourteen year old self loved. Isn’t that kind of beautiful? I think it is, at least. 

Thank you Calum Hood. 

Thank you 5SOS. 

Thank you for giving me some of the most unforgettable and best years of my life. I’ll forever be in debt to you. 

Written by: Meg Ivy Brunning.

Photo Credit: Sarah Eiseman.