When Facing the Things We Turn Away From

When Facing the Things We Turn Away From is the debut solo studio album from Australian singer-songwriter Luke Hemmings, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer. The album was preceded by three singles and released on 13 August 2021.

The album was announced on 30 June 2021 alongside lead single "Starting Line". The project was co-written and produced by Sammy Witte. Hemmings described the album as "a project that grew out of a year of enforced stillness", and described it as a place of reflection on the past ten years of his life spent working and touring with 5 Seconds of Summer. The album sold nearly 6,000 copies in the United States in its first week.

Reception

Tanyel Gumushan from Clash said "When Facing the Things We Turn Away From is self-assured and confident. It is built on the foundations of classic rock songs, written on acoustic guitars and keys and follows the fool-proof formulas that has an unstoppable emotional pull... It's as though his strings have been cut and as a musician, Luke is moving freely for the first time."

Track listing

Personnel

• Luke Hemmings – vocals, background vocals (all tracks); electric guitar (tracks 1–3, 5, 7, 9, 12), nylon guitar (1, 2), acoustic guitar (2–8, 12), slide guitar (2), piano (3, 6, 9), keyboards (3, 7, 10), 12-string guitar (5), Nashville guitar (7, 8), harmonium (9)
• Sammy Witte – programming (tracks 1–4, 6–8, 10, 12), piano (1–4, 7, 10, 11), keyboards (1–3, 5–10, 12), Moog bass (1, 3, 6–10, 12), background vocals (1, 7, 12), acoustic guitar (3–5), electric guitar (3, 9); percussion, xylophone (3); bass guitar (4, 12), Mellotron (4); Hammond organ, Wurlitzer piano (7); harmonium (9); drums, B3 organ, drum programming (12)
• Aaron Sterling – drums (tracks 1–3, 7, 9), percussion (7)
• Zachary Dawes – bass guitar (tracks 1–3, 7, 12), double bass (7)
• Sierra Deaton – background vocals (tracks 1, 2, 5, 10, 12)
• Rob Moose – strings (tracks 1, 6, 12)
• Gabriel Cabezas – cello (tracks 1, 6, 12)
• Jason Goldstein – piano (tracks 1, 8, 12), trumpet (12)
• John Hill – bass guitar, keyboards (tracks 5, 9); electric guitar (5), piano (9)
• François Comtois – drums (track 5)

Technical

• Sammy Witte – production, engineering
• John Hill – production (tracks 5, 9)
• Luke Hemmings – production (tracks 10, 11), engineering (10)
• Randy Merrill – mastering
• Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing (tracks 1, 3–5, 9)
• Michael Freeman – mixing (tracks 2, 6–8, 10–12)
• Kevin Smith – engineering (tracks 1–3, 5, 7–9, 12)
• Rob Cohen – engineering (tracks 5, 9)
• Aaron Sterling – engineering (track 9)
• Rob Moose – string engineering, string arrangement (tracks 1, 6, 12)
• Matt Wolach – mixing assistance (tracks 1, 3–5, 9)
• Taylor Jackson – engineering assistance (tracks 1–3, 5, 7–9, 12)
• Kaushlesh "Garry" Purohit – engineering assistance (tracks 1–3, 7, 12)
• Chloe Poswillo – engineering assistance (tracks 1, 2, 7)

Visuals

• Luke Hemmings – creative direction
• Vladimir Sepetov – creative direction, design, packaging
• Scottie Cameron – photography
• Elizabeth A. Miranda – photography

Charts

References