When Facing the Things we Turn Away From

The trauma processing album I needed all of these years.

By: Shannon Brault

Luke Hemmings, the most beautiful man on Earth, released his debut album “When Facing the Things We Turn Away From” in August. Cover to cover, it is a pure masterpiece, and while there are a lot of great albums out there, this is one that I wish I could listen to for the first time again. 

Hemmings is the lead singer for 5 Seconds of Summer, and I have been mesmerized by him for a long time. His vocals reach another level of perfection that goes beyond my ability to comprehend. Those same powerful vocals and raw energy in his voice and lyrics I have been in love with for years are heard throughout the whole album. 

“Starting Line” was the first single to grace our existence, and I feel truly seen and heard through the lyrics. For years I have been debilitatingly fearful that I’m the only one experiencing dissociation and everyone else around me is “normal” and has it all figured out. Starting Line captures all of this fear into a 4 minute and 30-second song and makes the aloneness feeling evaporate away. An essential part of the song is time and how fast time moves. He sings: “I wake up in the morning with the years ticking by. I’m missing all these memories, maybe they were never mine.” It’s easy to feel disconnected from yourself and your surroundings after the last few years that we have all had. I look back on memories of my life and memories from the last few years and they don’t feel like mine. Maybe they never were to begin with. The power behind these lyrics alone makes them some of my favorites of all time. 

This album has helped me heal more than I ever thought was possible. Another wonderful reminder that even if people around you do not understand your struggles, someone in the world does and they are one song away from making you feel understood.