We’ve all been in the situation where your favorite band goes on hiatus for a few years and then out of nowhere… THEY’RE BACK.
I’ve been a fan of 5 Seconds of Summer since the summer of 2013 when they were just teenage boys who looked like this:
Now, they look like this:
I’m sorry…WHAT? I WASN’T READY? WHO ALLOWED THIS???
What went from two solid years of tours, performances, and albums went to another two years of nothing but silence. The boys had been on a hiatus since 2015 and I had gotten used to the lack of tweets, instagram posts, interviews, concert footage, etc. Yet a few months ago, they came back with a force I was not ready for. All of a sudden I felt as though I was 16 years old crying over a band, and trust me when I say I really thought I had passed this point of my life. Let’s be real here: I haven’t. At least this time I don’t have their instagram post notifications on. Maybe I’ve grown up a bit? Probably not.
Now that I have adjusted to their insane activity on social media, new concert footage, and the new ALBUM (go listen to YOUNGBLOOD if you haven’t!) I’ve compiled a list of things I wish I had when these boys came back. The first being my sanity, but that’s long gone at this point.
Firstly, it’s important to accept the changes. I wanted so hard to continue to believe these boys were still the cute Australian band that was opening for one direction in 2014. 5SOS went from four dorky boys who made music videos dressed as superheros to 4 grown men who make visually aesthetic and calm music videos. (Have you seen the video for Want You Back?)The change was SO fast that I blinked and all of a sudden I had grown up with these boys. As much as I’ll forever love the iconic Don’t Stop music video and the superhero costumes, I had grown up too.
Another major change these boys made was in their sound. If you listen to their very first songs from 2012 versus the first single from YOUNGBLOOD, you wouldn’t think it’s the same band. The quality of the music, the lyrics, and their voices have drastically improved SO much. When I first listened to their new music, I was expecting it to sound at least a little bit than it had a few years prior. Instead, it was almost a totally new genre, and it was incredible. You can easily tell the boys spent the past two years working hard to perfect how they want to be known now that they aren’t teenagers anymore.
Do NOT, and I mean DO NOT go looking at old interviews, pictures, or concerts from years past unless you’re prepared for the emotional rollercoaster. For example, I found footage from the very first time I saw them live when I was 17 and I may or may not have been crying in my bed that night. It was as though I was looking at a totally different band, and I wasn’t even upset about it. I found myself getting emotional because I was so happy. My friends and I also once marathoned a ton of interviews from the press tour of their first album and we were not ready for that either. That was an experience to say the least.
Lastly, just accept that this band is a part of your life for the long haul. The longer you deny it, the longer you suffer. I’ve seen this band at least seven times, once owned an unhealthy amount of merch, and waited at the airport for way too long for a normal fan. I don’t do those things anymore (except the concerts I’m totally going to their LA show), but it’s fun to listen to She Looks So Perfect while cleaning the kitchen. I’m doing adult things while listening to the music that got me through high school. It’s ironic in a really strange way.
Everyone has something that defines a huge part of their life, and for me it’s this band. I have literally grown up with them, as cheesy as it sounds. Their second album came out my freshman year of college, and now their third album is out during my senior year. It’s a weird feeling when your favorite band comes off hiatus after two and a half years, but it’s also one of the best feelings. I’m still not used to the fact that this band and myself are now considered full grown adults, but it’s fine. Everything is fine. Right?