Luke Hemmings: His Vulnerably Blue Labyrinth Chapter Begins With ‘Shakes’

Luke Hemmings graciously and gingerly invited all listeners into his labyrinth of emotions in his new melancholic downcast single, 'Shakes'. In Hemmings' solo career outside his band, 5 Seconds of Summer, he favours pulling and wringing out the deepest and darkest corners of his mind when sharing his fears and unease and reconnecting with himself after years of internal struggles. 

His debut solo album, 'When Facing The Things We Turn Away From', is a grey and cloudy moving spectacle as he sings about guilt, not feeling his "age", depression, loneliness, and how things have turned a leaf.

All of those experiences, just like the colour grey, represented the uncertainty Hemmings had within himself going from a young teen in Sydney, Australia, to touring with One Direction as an opener, to his band doing worldwide headlining tours - the uncertainty of growing up too quickly and not having "traditional" teenage years or adulthood. 

Transitioning from the grey, 'Shakes', is a step into a blue world. Blue represents many things, such as loyalty, peacefulness, tranquillity, and sadness. This particular track is the latter. Hemmings is no longer stuck in his head, picking himself apart as the new tune is set around a different type of loneliness: missing someone out of reach. The track will push and pull you like waves do as you hear the gentle synths, weepy guitar riffs, synths, and isolation of the lyrics "shake". 

"I feel it comin', my blood is wine / Oh, I can't help but chase you, my butterfly" and "Boy, I just wanna bе yours, wanna be yours / Inside your dreams tonight'' showcase the two sides of Hemmings calling out for someone to remedy the emptiness he feels beside him and the other half of his heart wishing to not beside him, but something much more intimate, inside his dreams. This indicates that there is this severe ache of comfort from another, and maybe being their dreams is the closest way of feeling with them, yet it's not enough. All leading up to the layered bridge, making you feel the meltdown spiral or the withdrawal created from the heartache and longing story that Hemmings has been able to capture. 

Throughout the song, there's the bleeding pang of heartache that comes from the need to try to distract yourself from the absence of someone. This piece is a glimpse of the next chapter of Hemmings as he moves from the bluey sadness to a place of peace within those feelings - and he is ready for everyone to enjoy untangling their emotions with him come April. 

Tyra Baker

@got_tyra

Image: ‘Shakes’ Official Single Cover