Multi-Platinum superstar Luke Hemmings continues to plunder his deep musical passions bringing fans together and pursuing his own musical tastes with today’s announcement of his highly anticipated latest solo EP, boy, set for release April 26, 2024, via Arista Records and produced with longtime collaborator Sammy Witte (Maggie Rogers, Harry Styles, Freya Ridings). Ahead of the EP, the award-winning musician shared the beautifully melancholic first single, “Shakes” and its accompanying stunning visual directed by George Gallardo (Mike Posner, Maneskin, Tai Verdes) and shot on location in Bogota Colombia.
The announcement marks the first new solo music from the 5 Seconds of Summer front man since the release of his critically acclaimed debut project, When Facing the Things We Turn Away From (2021). Inspired by musical acts like LCD Soundsystem and the Cocteau Twins when Hemmings set out to write his new EP boy, he was chasing something specific. In session with songwriting partner Sammy Witte, they called it “the ache.”
“It’s difficult to get across in words,” Luke explains. “I just know there’s a feeling that I get; there’s an ache. That seems to be the feeling I come back to.”
Luke is adept at capturing feelings and distilling them into music. As the lead vocalist of 5 Seconds of Summer, Luke has sold millions of records, toured the globe numerous times, accumulated billions of streams, and become one of Australia’s most successful musical exports. boy, meanwhile, sees him flex his innate abilities as a songwriter to carve out a unique space as an artist in his own right.
Of the “Shakes” the projects first release Luke says, “’Shakes’ was written on a dreary NYC evening in between long periods of being on the road. This made it come naturally to write from a melancholy place and feeling of yearning to be back home and feeling lonely and emotionally depleted. There is a longing for love and self-acceptance in the lyrics and I hope it to be a song and feeling that anyone listening can find themselves in and attach their own story.”
As the lead vocalist of 5 Seconds of Summer, 27-year-old Luke Hemmings has sold millions of records, toured the globe numerous times, accumulated billions of streams, and become one of Australia’s most successful musical exports. As a solo artist, Luke has turned his creative process inward, finding a place for self-discovery, exploration, and experimentation. The first result of which was his critically acclaimed debut solo EP, When Facing The Things You Turn Away From released in 2021 and lauded “equal parts mesmerizing and immersive” by Rolling Stone.
Recorded in New York with Grammy-nominated producer Sammy Witte (Maggie Rogers, Harry Styles, Freya Ridings), his next project, boy, is scheduled for release this April. The EP is a result of continued introspection into maturity and humanity paired with the influence of LCD Soundsystem, My Bloody Valentine, The Verve, and Cocteau Twins culminating in a body of work highlighting both Luke’s personal evolution and his craft as a songwriter. The first glimpse of that can be heard in the layers of loneliness explored on just-dropped single “Shakes.” 2024 is a year of growth for Luke with lots more to come soon.
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