After months of anticipation and excitement, Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer has finally dropped their fifth studio album, fittingly titled 5SOS5.
The album is a collection of nineteen tracks that take us through “a journey of friendship, brotherhood, and an exploration of self-identity.” The quartet is incredibly proud of this album as it marks the first time they have released anything independently since their first EP Somewhere New in 2012.
5SOS released their fourth album CALM in March 2020. Due to a series of unfortunate events, they were unable to tour following the release. However, they took this as an opportunity to grow and decide where they wanted to go as a band. During the pandemic, they packed up their instruments and took a trip to Joshua Tree where their fifth record was brought to life.
The band was looking to create something they have never done before. They wanted to break free of the shackles that were limiting them to one sound. In Joshua Tree, they decided to close a chapter and greet a new beginning. This album enabled the boys to enter a new “era focused on creative freedom and liberation of the bands truest voice to date.”
Complete Mess is the first track and single of the album. They wrote the song on their first day in Joshua Tree and revealed it took them an hour to write. The boys state, “this song was the first time in the writing process that the band really felt we got it right. We had found our sound and knew what we were aiming for.” The song opens with the whimsical chirping of birds, transporting us to Joshua tree and setting the tone for the rest of the album.
Throughout the album, we really get a taste of 5SOS’s new sound. We get a mix of soft rock, slow-tempo electro-pop, and four-part vocal harmonies. The album has some of the band’s strongest, most vulnerable, and beautifully written lyrics accompanied by brilliant instrumentals that give each track its own uniqueness. The lyrics are nostalgic and tender and display the band’s newfound maturity. Each song encapsulates the emotions and experiences shared between the band and their fans throughout their journeys of growing up.
We also get tracks led by each band member, giving us a chance to better understand the stories of each of them. They gave us an opportunity to see the growth of each member and connect with them on a deeper level as we sing along to their experiences of heartache, friendship, and struggling with self-identity.
Although they have established a new sound, they included tracks that “gave an ode” to their “older sound in a tasteful way.” We get a reinvention of the experiences of toxic relationships and heartbreak through Bad Omens and Bleach. We also see a struggle with mental health and self discovery in Emotions, TEARS!, and CAROUSEL. Through beautifully raw and emotional lyrics, Older, Take My Hand, and Moodswings explore the complexity of love.
Through this record, 5SOS has shown the world that they are not afraid to experiment with new genres and sounds. They prioritize producing and performing music that makes the band happy, which ultimately maintains their authenticity and enables their creativity to flourish. Switching it up sonically has proven to keep 5SOS new and fresh. Luke Hemmings, Calum Hood, Michael Clifford, and Ashton Irwin have shown a tremendous amount of growth as musicians. And 5SOS5 did an excellent job at encompassing the band’s raw talent.
You can stream 5SOS5 here and make sure to follow 5SOS on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter to stay up to date with what’s coming next!
