With a new year, 5 Seconds of Summer is putting their fans through a whirlwind with the pre-release of two songs from their new album, Youngblood. The two songs that we have heard sound completely different from everything we’ve heard from them since they started back in 2011. When you google them, you will see that no genre could really label them, so it says all kinds of genres like: Pop rock, Pop punk, Power pop, and Pop music.
Back in 2012, when they released their first EP, “Somewhere New”, 5 Seconds of Summer was considered teen pop, even though they considered themselves “punk.” With songs like “Unpredictable”, “Out of My Limit”, “Beside Me”, and “Gotta Get Out”, they started off with kind of an alternative pop-punk sound that got them noticed by One Direction. It was their big break that gave them the opportunity to develop their sound and gain an adoring fan base.
After four EPs and two albums, 5SOS has grown up so much since they became a band, and with them, their music. You can almost hear their voices and music in general grow with them.
The first new song released from their ever anticipated album was “Want You Back”, which was playing all over the radio in no time. It was catchy in a top-forty’s kind of way with their own special 5SOS style twisted in. In this song, lead singer, Luke Hemmings, shows off his vocal range by hitting those high notes while Calum Hood, Michael Clifford, and Ashton Irwin backing him up with their unique blend of voices. Of course you can’t forget their incredible skills with their instruments. How were they going to top this hit?
Just like the album, the newest pre-released single was also titled “Youngblood”. This song has a lot more of all the band members singing than “Want You Back” in the chorus, but again, Luke is showing a whole other side to his vocal abilities. If these two songs are anything to go by, this new album is going to be mind blowing and will be nothing like anything we’ve ever heard from them so far.
Both pre-released singles from the new Youngblood album are about an ex, which isn’t altogether unusual for 5SOS, but we’ve never heard their pain in this way. After they released the second song, the 5 Seconds of Summer’s official twitter page summed up their experience with writing the new album by saying, “the making of Youngblood was nothing short of an ultimately transformative experience…” (@5SOS, Twitter).