5SOS5 - 5 Seconds of Summer
★★★★☆
Words by Zoë Mills (she/they)
Vibrant, complex yet polished: 5 Seconds of Summer are back and they're here to prove that their boy-band days are well behind them. 5SOS’s fifth studio album, 5SOS5, is a refined record that showcases an artistic maturity previously unseen from the band, while exploring thematic and lyrical depth. Since 2014, 5SOS has undergone a transformation from boy-band-esque pop-punk sound to mature pop rock - 5SOS5 pays homage to elements of their roots while creating a cohesive and refined sound.
The album’s lead single and opening track COMPLETE MESS introduces the record as a hazy, sun-drenched collection, telling the story of a turbulent relationship. The single establishes the band’s new sound as a more polished version of their 2020 album CALM. While the record is certainly synth-heavy, 5SOS5 hits a sweet spot of combining synths with traditional pop-rock drums and guitar.
This album is a refreshing shift in the band’s discography. 5SOS5 is the band’s first release since lead vocalist Luke Hemmings and drummer Ashton Irwin released their own solo projects. Its clear the chance to explore their own artistic identity has strengthened their cohesion as a group.
EASY FOR YOU TO SAY highlights Hemming’s controlled falsetto. The track has an airy yet punchy quality reminiscent of their early releases. The track has excellent mixing that compliments but doesn't overpower Hemming’s vocals. 5SOS5 has heavy influences from bands like Kings of Leon - particularly in tracks like CAROUSEL and Red Line. It can be easy to pluck out the strong influences for certain tracks. BAD OMENS draws influence from recent releases from The Killer’s Imploding the Mirage, with drummer Irwin becoming the precise heartbeat of the track. The record for the most part is cohesive, however, there are a collection of filler-tracks which after a few listens seem to all blur together. ME MYSELF AND I feels like generic radio pop and misses the mark, as does BLEACH and HAZE.
BLENDER is certainly a standout of the record. Its explosive arrangement and catchy hook hits a sweet spot of catchy pop and interesting synths; it’s isolated bassline and chorus mirrors a Charlie Puth-like-sound. The striking percussion of BLENDER makes it a stand out and a refreshing relief to the filler tracks on the album.
Vocalist Sierra Deaton, wife of frontman Luke Hemmings, makes an appearance later down the record. Her voice shimmers through on the stunningly arranged OLDER, a true highlight of the album. I hope that Deatons voice continues to soar in the band’s future releases.
Although Tracks like You Don't Go To Parties showcase the refreshing vocals of bassist Calum Hood and drummer Ashton Irwin, carries the essence of 2015 album Sounds Good Feels Good, It feels weak against other tracks on the album - repetitive and lacking substance. It’s a similar story for Emotions - while Michael Clifford’s punky vocals are strong, the track itself is comparably skippable.
“I just wanna feel alive”, Hemmings laments in the explosive closing track, TEARS!. It's a complex, interesting song that should have been a single. Layered harmonies and punchy percussion create a very original sound, sonically a major standout of the album. It’s a shame that it was pushed so far down the tracklist.
While there are a handful of flatter tracks that could have been cut from the final record, the majority of the album compensates for these pitfalls with artistic precision of other tracks. It is a polished accumulation of the band's sound throughout the years. For a band that’s been around for 11 years, it feels like just the beginning for 5 Seconds of Summer.