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There are few feelings in the world that compare to leaning against a barricade in a crowd of 4,000 fans as one of your favorite artists tells you that the concert you’re attending is being recorded. Back in June, while closing out the US leg of the Nostalgia for a Time That Never Existed Tour at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, Luke Hemmings did just that. Looking out into the crowd with an irrepressible smile on his face, Luke told fans, “Also, we’re filming tonight!” Now, six months to the day since that show, the 5 Seconds of Summer frontman has released his first solo live album: Nostalgia (Live from Los Angeles).
While every fan would have of course loved to hear the full NFATTNE setlist immortalized in a live album, Hemmings strategically selected the 7 tracks that appear on the live EP, balancing between tracks from his debut When Facing the Things We Turn Away From and his 2024 follow-up, boy. When announcing the album via his Boy FM Instagram broadcast channel, Luke advertised the album as being for “all of you who couldn’t make it to a show or those of you who want to go back to this summer. It’s one I never want to forget.”
For those of us who were lucky enough to experience Nostalgia for a Time That Never Existed this past spring, Nostalgia (Live from Los Angeles) is a visual, visceral listening experience. The ethereal opening notes of ‘Intro/A Beautiful Dream (Live)’ conjures up memories of white lights piercing through smoky air as Luke walked on stage each night. The live recording is mixed with the most practiced of hands, allowing for the crowd during the build of “Can we just stay?/Stay/Stay” to shine above Hemmings vocal line. The pop of confetti as Hemmings dives into high-powered ‘Motion (Live)’ is discernible to attentive ears, the tangible magic of imagining an ocean of lights appearing as Luke exclaims, “Get those lights up!” in ‘Comedown (Live)’ twists your heart, and the wonderful irony of the joy of scream-singing “Take me alive/Make me a liar/Take me alive/Don’t look away until it’s gone” to close out the show and EP with ‘Starting Line (Live)’ is only emphasized by the visual of falling confetti and entrancing, spiraling lights illuminating the dappled light from a glittering disco ball.
Stand-out tracks: 'Close My Eyes (Live)' 'Starting Line (Live)'
My favorites: 'Intro/A Beautiful Dream (Live)' 'Comedown (Live)'
From its most minute details to its comprehensive composition, Nostalgia (Live from Los Angeles) is quite simply a heartfelt gift from Luke to fans, expressing gratitude for his groundbreaking year as a solo artist. The album artwork commemorates all the little visual nuances that establish the Nostalgia aesthetic, shared between Luke and the fans each night - from falling confetti to disco ball lights, from Luke’s bleached curls to illumination of the crowd in each of the intimate venues played around the world. Even the title itself is a hint to how Hemmings reflects on having had the opportunity to play his solo discography for crowds across the globe: it’s no longer Nostalgia for a Time That Never Existed, but rather Nostalgia for a time that did.
AM I OBSESSED?
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