When Facing the Things We Turn Away From is the debut 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.[6]
The album was announced on 30 June 2021 alongside lead single "Starting Line".[7] 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.[8] The album sold nearly 6,000 copies in the United States in its first week.[9]
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."[10]
Track listing
When Facing the Things We Turn Away From track listing