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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 with the band twice. 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. Releasing in two parts, Irwin released the first eight tracks as The Thorns on June 12. The second half of the album, The Roses, is set to be released 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 magnetic dynamic.
Stand-out tracks: “Breakup” “BLOOD ON THE DRUMS” “I See The Angels”
My Favorites: “Straight to Your Heart” "Lose You” “Indestructible”
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 it 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.
While many of the tracks on BLOOD ON THE DRUMS are stories of Ashton’s evolution as an individual, "Lose You" and "Last Night of My Life" lean into the humanizing nature of any relationship. “Lose You” simultaneously holds a lot of adoration and apprehension in its lyrics, illustrating the fine line of emotional vulnerability. "Last Night of My Life" also holds unease amidst its starry production and smooth vocal lines. Irwin finds honesty and beauty in bearing his heart when faced with his own mortality: “Think I could lay me down/For that long and final rest/If I confessed to you/All the rain left in my chest.”
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.”
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.
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