REVIEW: Ashton Irwin's 'Blood on the Drums’ is a Reflective, Genre-Bending Masterpiece

This article is cross-posted on That Fangirl Life: https://thatfangirllife.com/2024/07/review-blood-on-the-drums-music-to-our-ears/

Ashton Irwin first made his solo debut in 2020, with his deeply personal, metamorphic alt-rock album Superbloom. Crafted in the uncertainty and isolation of the pandemic, Irwin explored an array of sonic textures and vulnerable subject matter on the project. Ashton is best known as the drummer of Australian pop-rock band 5 Seconds of Summer, and since Superbloom, he’s written and released 5SOS5, the band’s fifth studio album, and toured globally twice with the band. Almost immediately after getting off the road from the band’s 2023 tour, Irwin was itching to get back in the studio with both Superbloom collaborator Matthew Pauling and longtime band collaborator John Feldmann to create the next chapter of his solo career.

In just a few months, Ashton composed dozens of ideas, ultimately landing on the sixteen that make up his stellar sophomore solo project, Blood on the Drums. Released in two parts, Irwin released the first eight tracks as The Thorns on June 12, followed by the second half of the album, The Roses, on July 17 via AI Music Group and BMG. The record finds Irwin confident in his sound as a solo artist, pushing his pop-rock roots into a grittier, more reflective and magnetic dynamic.

Stand-out tracks: “Breakup” “BLOOD ON THE DRUMS” “The Canyon” “California Holds Her Breath”

My Favorites: “I See The Angels” "Lose You” “Indestructible” “Little Spark”

SIDE 1: THE THORNS

Expansive, acoustic-driven opener "Straight To Your Heart" sets the tone for Blood on the Drums with its captivating new wave-influenced production and light, poppy hook:“You’ll be my hero here in the dark/Saving my mind from ticking/Show me the way straight into your heart.” This track is on the lighter side compared to the rest of The Thorns but serves as a distinct transition from the sonic landscape of Superbloom.  “Breakup” is bold and unyielding, a clever, pounding justification for infidelity: “You say you got a lover/But you say I'm not like him”.  With Irwin’s deeper vocals repeatedly echoing "Breakup/Right now/You should be with me now" over a driving rhythm, this track begs for windows-down driving and steering wheel head-banging.

The project hits its stride with triumphant title-track “BLOOD ON THE DRUMS.” Sonically building upon a sound defined by Irwin’s own "SCAR" and "Greyhound," Ashton’s vocals shine brighter than ever before over a multidimensional drum pattern, exploring his greatest fears as someone who lives and breathes his art: “I’ve been holding on too long/Reaching out for what is gone/Will I stand or will I fall?/Will I make it out alive?/Will I ever learn to fly?.” Later in the track, the lyrical trepidation of “They say ‘slow down, give it up, give it up’/Don’t you dare listen, never giving it up” implies Ashton’s unyielding diligence in the face of doubt. 

Whether by accident or design, thrumming powerhouse "Indestructible" concludes The Thorns with the most addictive, unrelenting track of them all. Amidst the sizzling bass lines and dominating vocals, Irwin rises out of the ashes as formidable, electrifying, and genuinely indestructible. The pains and triumphs of the last decade of his career pulse through the larger-than-life production, complete with a satisfying crash through the glass as Irwin sings, “People don't ever believe it/Doesn't mean that you don't feel it/Looking up into ceiling/Trying but you're barely dealing/You're falling in love with the feeling.”

SIDE 2: THE ROSES

“The Canyon” is the most quintessential Ashton Irwin track, from its fantastically crisp instrumental production to its soul-baring lyricism, laced in hope for the future despite darkness in the past. And while Irwin’s unfathomable talent on the kit shines through as brightly as ever on “The Canyon”, the slinky acoustics that come to be trademark of The Roses side of the album make the soft “Now I’m coming out of the dark” coda ending of this track a stunning transition into the second half of the project.

The dark beauty of stratospheric “California Holds Her Breath” and light romanticism of “Wild Things” see Irwin experimenting with sonic illustration to intentionally evoke complex emotions, even when that means playing into the absence of his characteristic rhythm-based production style. The true gift of “California Holds Her Breath” is the vivid imagery dappled across its lyrics, with the choruses building in desperation from “I can see the future in these hills/And the glitter in your tears” to “I can see your heart reflected off that disco ball/Writing down your next confession on the bathroom wall.”

Nostalgic “Glory Days” and meditative “Endless Wave” round out The Roses with genre-bending explorations into sounds recognizable as respectively influenced by rock greats like Bruce Springsteen and Sting, while maintaining something that remains distinctly recognizable as Ashton Irwin. Perhaps that Ashton trademark is the profound gratitude for where he’s been as one of a band (“The world was ours to take/Our hearts will never break/Sounding like a perfect story/Of the glory days”) or the simple recognition of his individual humanity (“I love to watch the morning go by/It’s moving by so fast I could cry/You can’t resist the change/You surf the endless wave”), all wrapped up in dynamic, rich instrumentation that can only be achieved by a well-rounded artist who knows the power of his own vulnerability.

Blood on the Drums is a cohesive musical accomplishment for Ashton Irwin, masterfully documenting his sacrifices made in the name of art and the evolution of his personal strength. To the casual listener, Blood on the Drums is a rock-solid, addictive cruiser of an album, but to longtime fans of Ashton, it’s gratifying proof of his undeniable self-actualization as a solo artist.

 

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING: FULLY OBSESSED

REVIEW: 'Charm' is Clairo's Intimate and Timeless Coming-of-Age Classic

From her 2019 debut Immunity, Clairo has gathered millions of listeners who searched for a modest soft-rock escape. Finding her niche somewhere in the triangle between Phoebe Bridgers, Carole King, and Norah Jones, Clairo is an artist with easy confidence in her sound, lyricism, and vocal performance. Clairo marks her return with Charm, her third studio album and first album in three years-- and Clairo's timeless sound and a new sense of lightheartedness prove the third time's the charm.

Stand-out tracks: "Sexy to Someone" "Thank You" "Juna"

My favorites: "Nomad" "Slow Dance" "Add Up My Love"

The sonic landscape and thematic tones of Charm are established through prereleases "Nomad" and "Sexy to Someone." Clairo opens the album with an unpretentious hope for easy companionship while owning up to the fact that she feels a sense of freedom in her own isolation. Groovy percussion, sweet and supple vocals, and a refreshing lyrical quirkiness modernizes 70s-style soft-rock with an empowering female influence.

Despite its lightheartedness as a complete project that melts into its late summer release date, part of me wishes Charm had been released on the cusp of the fading of summer into fall; piano-guided "Slow Dance" is one of those tracks that fits the aesthetic of cozy wool and warm tones of the leaves. It almost mimics the changing of the seasons in its story of a relationship changing over time:"When the moon begins to hide/It's not over/And the window turnin' light/Does not mean goodbye." But it also sees Clairo accepting that change can ultimately result in demise: "And, too, when candles burn out/And the record is faded down/I know you've got people to turn to."

Sonically and lyrically, "Thank You" feels distinctly like a nod to Carole King's "Too Late." The track is simultaneously softly cheeky and vulnerable, acknowledging the role of relationships on the journey of self-discovery. One of those relationships being the one that has Clairo cooing, "I don't even try/I don't have to think/With you, there's no pretending" in "Juna." Simple and romantic, this is Clairo at her most sunny and laid back, complete with a stunning instrumental outro.

Dipping her toe into something poppier with "Add Up My Love," Clairo hides her exasperation and hurt in the aftermath of a relationship that went up in flames behind a blase vocal line: "If I could wait for a time/To be mad about it, mad about it/I'd choose a day when you're on your way/And I can say it all to your face." After the moody lull of "Echo," Clairo reminisces on a love in which she felt desired and safe in "Glory of the Snow."

The final notes of "Pier 4" draw the full scope of Charm together: "When close is not close enough/Where's the fun in it? And now I'm too tough/From close being just too much." From its rich instrumental cohesion to it's vulnerable and fresh storytelling, Charm is simple and timeless. It never really has a standout moment that attracts attention, but seeing as the album is an intimate invitation into Clairo's most human of dreams and desires, Charm settles right into the title of a charming coming-of-age classic.

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING: KINDA OBSESSED

REVIEW: 'The Secret of Us' is Gracie Abrams' Most Refined and Honest Work Yet

In the four short years since her debut EP minor, Gracie Abrams has blossomed from the soft-spoken, apprehensive girl who penned tracks like "I Miss You, I'm Sorry," "Camden," and "Block Me Out" to an artist who has refined and defined who she is personally and musically. Guided by vulnerability, trust in her small-but-tightknit group of collaborators, an acoustic-pop niche, and a fresh honesty about just how messy it is to feel yourself grow into your own, Abrams's sophomore album The Secret of Us is undoubtedly her best work yet.

Stand-out tracks: "I Love You, I'm Sorry" "Let It Happen" "Tough Love" "Close to You"

My favorites: "Blowing Smoke" "us. (feat. Taylor Swift)" "I Knew It, I Know You" "Free Now"

The lighthearted shift from Gracie's earlier works is immediately apparent in album-opener "Felt Good About You" and lead single "Risk." Easy percussion, simple acoustics, and Gracie's incredible power with a pen introduce something new in her sound while holding on to the core of what has brought her success on past projects. And let me tell you this – Gracie Abrams knows how to write a bridge. In juxtaposition to many of the soft-spoken lyrics in her discography, the bridge of "Risk" is written to be scream-sung, whether it’s in your bedroom in front of a mirror, in the car driving with the windows down or in a 70,000-capacity stadium. The turbulent craving for consolation in, “I’m gonna bend ’til I break/And you’ll be my favourite mistake/I wish you could hold me, here shakin’/You’re the risk, I’m gonna take it”, builds to Abrams crying out with frustration that it’s just too soon to confess her infatuation – “Too soon to tell you I love you!“

The Secret of Us hits its stride with the golden trilogy of "Blowing Smoke," "I Love You, I'm Sorry," and "us. (feat. Taylor Swift)". The atmospheric acoustic production and wickedly clever lyrics weaving through each of these tracks would be enough to call each one a standout. But Abrams strikes deeper on each progressive track, composing bridges that are just so good that I genuinely have goosebumps thinking about them. From the "And I find your books pretentious now/At the time, they'd fed the fantasy" of "Blowing Smoke" to the "You never read up on it, shame/Could've learned something/Robert Bly on my nightstand, gifts from you/How ironic/The curse or a miracle/Hearse or an oracle/You're incomparable/Fuck, it was chemical" (oh my god?) of "us (feat. Taylor Swift), " Abrams writing has never been more transcendental or assertive.

"Let It Happen" and "Tough Love" are experimental tracks for Abrams; they embrace a wider vocal range than she's ever ventured to and lyrical confidence that would have seemed unfathomable even on 2023’s Good Riddance, proving that her musical capabilities have far surpassed the whispery bedroom-acoustics of her early projects. "Let It Happen" romanticizes the free fall of new love, with Abrams proclaiming, "Here's to hoping you're worth all my time/I might barely know you, but still/Don't love you yet, but probably will/Turn me into something tragic/Just for you, I let it happen." Between the poppier beat and devil-may-care attitude of "Tough Love" and longtime unreleased fan favorite “Close to You," Gracie even makes strides towards crossing the line between acoustic-pop and indie-acoustics.

But Gracie also isn't one to forget her roots; "I Knew It, I Know You" and "Gave You I Gave You I" bring her back to the slow-paced sentimental tracks that romanticize heartbreak and growing beyond the relationships of your past. However, unlike tracks even on Good Riddance, there's an airiness of gratitude for her heartache and growing pains now: "It all changed for me and I told you/You had the wrong idea about me/And all I did was consider you/Until all I could do was consider me."

And Gracie emerges as the most healed she's ever been from the heartbreaks of her past on album closer "Free Now." She's walked away from a relationship that helped her become who she wants to be, but ultimately wasn't worth the sacrifices that came along with it: "Hope you find somewhere safe for your baggage/Every page that I wrote, you were on it/Feel you deep in my bones, you're the current/And I showed no restraint, it was something/I was scared of til you made me love it." After all the stories of love, loss, and growth across The Secret of Us, there's tangible gratitude in closing the project on a note of self-assurance and hope for what is to come: "If you find yourself out, if there is a right time/Chances are I'll be here, we could share a lifeline/If you feel like fallin', catch me on the way down/Never been less empty all I feel is free now."

AM I OBSESSED?

RATING: FULLY OBSESSED