If Ashton Irwin is worried about the power grid going down, he’s got a plan. “I realized I didn’t have any primitive skills at all,” he says. So naturally, the 5 Seconds of Summer drummer learned archery — partly in case civilization collapses, partly for a music video. “My friend LP was like, ‘The video for Straight to Your Heart should be you as Cupid with a bow and arrow.’ I said, that’s hilarious but no way I’m wearing a diaper,” he laughs. Still, the arrow stuck.
That’s Ashton in a nutshell: a man who learned to shoot arrows and crank out sixteen music videos for Blood on the Drums, his second solo record. He calls it “an ode to that passion and drive” — not to mention a chance to finally show off the fingerpicking skills he’s been working on for, oh, twenty years. “People who know me are like, dude, you’re finally getting that guitar thing down.”
He’s nowhere near done with 5SOS (“I’ve written with that band for nearly 14 years!”) but he’s not buying the old myth that solo albums kill the vibe. “People told me: Don’t ever do that, it ruins the band. But that’s bullshit. We’re living in a world where people enjoy individual expression. Ringo did it. Dave Grohl did it.”
He name-drops The Church, Echo & the Bunnymen, Silverchair, and Zeppelin — just more ghosts in the grooves. His new epic California Holds Her Breath Tonight came from a story about addiction, second chances, and maybe the only real truth: “You learn you’re the only one who really has your back,” he shrugs. “Not even in a bad way.”
There’s no telling if Ashton will tour these songs, but the stage is calling. “Would I release an album called Blood on the Drums without doing that live? It’s irresistible. I have to.”
For the full interview and to hear more about Ashton Irwin’s latest projects, check out the video above and then hit play on the one below.
