5 Seconds of Summer's
Ashton Irwin has unveiled his second solo album, 'Blood On
The Drums'.
The album's latest single, '
The Canyon', serves as the opening track. Ashton explains, "'The Canyon' is potentially the cornerstone of the record conceptually and for me as a human being. It taps into breaking the chain: the son of an addict or the son of a gambler or the son of an alcoholic, or whatever your experience in life may be. It explores the concept of 'am I able to become my own man? Am I able to escape what my father was? Am I able to make my apple fall far from the tree?' It addresses the times when the depression of the monotony of life can set in, and you're fighting to retain your inner fire and motivation to live."
The music video for 'The Canyon' is set to be released this Friday, marking the fourth from '
Blood On The Drums'. Irwin has created music videos for all 16 tracks on the album, with plans to release them throughout August. The video follows previously released visuals for '
Straight To Your Heart', '
Breakup', and the title track, 'Blood On The Drums'.
Irwin chose to release 'Blood On The Drums' in two installments: 'The Thorns' (Side 1) consisting of the first eight tracks, and 'The Roses' (Side 2) which completes the full album.
The album, which Irwin describes as "a metaphor for how much I've given my music," is the follow-up to his 2020 debut solo album '
Superbloom'. Reflecting on the album's content, Ashton reveals, "I was thinking about the people I left behind, the people I miss, the family that I had to leave when I was young. Thinking about the addictions I've been through. The way I evolved as a young man who never had a father. Thinking about my personal strength and knowing that generally speaking no one else has my back but me and becoming someone that I have to be for the rest of my life."
You can stream 'Blood On The Drums' below.
