It looks like we’re finally getting a new era from 5 Seconds of Summer!
Big changes are happening as it appears 5 Seconds of Summer seem to be switching everything up with their brand as of late. It was announced last Thursday that the Australian quartet have now signed to the globally renowned label BMG. This announcement comes after a seven month limbo where the band remained label-less following their quiet, under-the-table split with both their US-based label, Interscope Records, and their UK-based management, Modest! Management.
The international hitmakers had only been signed to Interscope for a little less than two years, departing in March earlier this year after only signing to the label in May of 2019. Before that, the band had stuck with their own independently-created label, Hi or Hey Records, under their parent label of Capitol Records since the beginning of their career in 2013, when they slowly started to gain popularity during their opening performances on One Direction’s ‘Take Me Home’ tour.
Under Interscope, the band only put out one project, their fourth studio album CALM. It was released during the height of the pandemic in early 2020, unfortunately leaving little room for touring their new sound. However, during their brief hiatus between labels, there was time for not one but two of the band’s members to delve into solo projects, with both drummer Ashton Irwin and frontman Luke Hemmings to both put out solo albums. Irwin’s Superbloom, a dive into a more alternative rock sound, surpassed 14.7 millions streams on Spotify after it’s release last October, a massive feat for a first-time independent artist. Hemmings’ When Facing The Things We Turn Away From has also already managed to reach 33 million streams on Spotify, despite only being released two months ago in August.
It seems that regardless of labels or management, 5 Seconds of Summer is capable of consistently meeting and shattering each new goal they set. As the only band to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 charts with their first three studio albums, with each album honing in a different, unique sound, this Australian super-group has proven they can not only be versatile, but flexible with every step up their already soaring ladder of success. Thomas Scherer, the BMG president of repertoire and marketing, says, “With their high level of success and global appeal, BMG is the perfect partner for a band of this magnitude and what they want to accomplish.”
BMG is home to a plethora of other superstars such as Tame Impala, Lenny Kravitz, Bruno Mars, John Legend, Ringo Starr, David Bowie, and Avril Lavigne. With that mix of artists, there’s no doubt the sound for the next 5SOS record is sure to be a toss-up, just as they’ve switched it up with each new album spanning their nearly ten years of being a band. Their fifth studio album is said to arrive early next year, hopefully coinciding with their twice-postponed ‘No Shame’ tour. This will be the first time fans will be able to hear not only the upcoming new music live, but also all of the songs on CALM we have been eagerly anticipating to hear live for the past two years. After the band played the Global Citizen Live festival in Los Angeles last month, I’m sure I’m not the only one counting down the days until we get to see this new era on stage.