“5 Seconds of Summer” – Album Review
October 5, 2022
The school year has just started, and for a lot of people that means getting into new habits whether that be studying or getting up at 7am instead of 12pm. This album review focuses on an album that has a mix of up-beat energetic songs with a couple of, “taking it slow” type songs.
On March 2nd, 2022, the Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer released their first single, “Complete Mess,” for a new album; this single debuted a completely new sound from them by incorporating group vocals and allowing space for electronic influences in their composition. This single acted as a clear representation of where the direction the rest of the album was taking.
Six months later, on September 23rd 2022, 5sos5 released their fifth studio album titled, “5 Seconds of Summer 5” or 5sos5. The bad has released hits such as, “She looks so perfect”, “She’s Kinda Hot”, “Teeth”, and, “Youngblood” which has since its release in 2017 has reached over a billion streams. Their new album encapsulates their old sound from their album titled ,“5 seconds of summer” and shows how they’ve evolved not only lyrically but intellectually as well.
What’s interesting about this album compared to their previous efforts is that Michael Clifford, 5sos’s lead guitarist and occasional vocalist, produced most of the album himself. The band went out to Joshua Tree California, the songs came organically without the pressure of deadlines. Two tracks were written on this trip: “Easy for you to say” and “Take My Hand” these songs influenced how the rest of the album sounds and how the band members collaborate with each other. Instead of having a schedule with select days that the members go into the studio with a bunch of producers, managers and other writers, they were able to write on their own time and have a bunch more creative freedom.
Two tracks that stand out from the rest are “Bad Omens” and “Older” as the only two songs that are ballad-like. Older is written by lead singer Luke Hemmings and now fiancé Sierra Deaton. It’s a heartbreakingly beautiful song that comes with the knowledge that one day your forever person won’t be with you anymore they also included the element of surprise with this song, it got released with no announcement so that was a nice little heart attack on a random Thursday afternoon. “Bad Omens” on the other hand, is about being in a toxic relationship but still trying to salvage it. With lyrics like, “These bad omens I look right through them that’s what you do when you love somebody.” With lyrics and musical production like that it has easily become one of the most streamed non-single song on 5sos5.
Going along with the theme of up-beat music, track 11, “Caramel.” Once again, lyrical quality is up to their standard. The song follows a relationship going downhill after thriving for a while and how the relationship used to be so easy and now as the song says “we can’t even look each other in the eye.” Interments play a huge role in the song with an instrumental break after the first chorus and at the end of the song, the interments and lyrics just pull this song together to make a beautiful, delightful song.
Track 12 titled, “Best Friends” feels like the beginning of spring, with the sun beaming down and snow starting to melt. Violens are included in this song which 5sos has very rarely done, with the additions of the violins and upbeat music with hopeful and cheerful lyrics it’s a radiant song to just get up and dance to, especially with your best friends. The new electronic like sound is apparent in this song, which makes the song better, if I had the same sound as any of their previous albums it wouldn’t fit as well.
So, if you’re having trouble becoming energized or motivated take a listen to 5sos5 and have a dance party whether it’s with your best friends or by yourself it truly is an amazing experience. And even though their new experimental sound is not something everyone is used to in the words of Calum Hood — “They still rock.”
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