On September 23, 2022, the long-awaited fifth album from 5 Seconds of Summer finally hit the shelves and streaming services. “5SOS5” is a 19-track journey whose inception was in a secluded Airbnb with an elderly caretaker named Byron in Joshua Tree, California. They are currently an independent band (BMG has only helped this go round with distribution), with guitarist Michael Clifford even producing many of the songs himself.
In an interview with Spin in May, lead singer Luke Hemmings explained, “We just sort of backed ourselves. We’ve written all of the albums, but I think this one, we just took it into our own hands and sort of didn’t try to make it something it wasn’t. We just did what came naturally to us. I think it’s the most the band sounded like ourselves.”
Lead single Complete Mess was released back in March 2022, and with it came a taste of what the new album would sound like. It’s an anthemic, keyboard-heavy track with unique lyrics that portray the feeling of being in love.
Other singles that came out pre-album release were Take My Hand, Me Myself & I, Blender, and Older (ft. Sierra Deaton). All except for Older were played live at the album’s supporting tour– the Take My Hand World Tour. It spanned from April to September through Europe, Mexico, and North America, and is finishing up in the band’s home country of Australia in December.
As a longtime hardcore fan, I recognize my bias here. However, I completely agree with Luke in that this album feels different than their past four. It’s refreshing– not only for the 5SOS discography but for the music industry. I can’t think of many other mainstream artists who have been able to capture the sound and feelings they have on 5SOS5.
Like the new era, the album also opens with Complete Mess, followed by an synth-y, lyrically nostalgic song called Easy For You To Say. The band also played this one live at many of their tour stops earlier in the year, but the studio version captures it in a whole new way. Luke’s light, high notes mixed with the backing guitar riff and the pounding drum beat of the chorus render it a completely addicting track. It’s my second favorite on the album.
Next comes Bad Omens, so far the most popular non-single on the album that the band has been playing live on all their talk show and musical public appearances in the last week. With lyrics including, “I died when you left that night for the thousandth time / ‘Cause you love somebody else / I tried to stop the door as it was closing / Can’t help the way I keep ignoring every omen” it has resonated with thousands of fans who have gone through similar experiences as to what the song is depicting.
Other fan favorite tracks so far are Caramel, Best Friends, and Moodswings. Each song conveys a different emotion or tells a story, and this lyricism has not gone unnoticed. Best Friends is an ode to the band’s friendship with themselves and their fans. Luke singing, “Memories I hold to keep safe / And I live for that look on your face / I got the best friends in this place / And I’m holding on” has fans who have met each other through the band or reminiscing on their experiences at concerts feeling emotional. It was a great touch to this album.
Something else unique about the making of this album verses their others is that between the time their fourth album “CALM” was released to now, two members have created solo albums. Drummer Ashton Irwin was the first, showcasing his vocal ability and song-writing prowess on a powerful, rock meets indie album called “Superbloom” in 2020. Hemmings followed a year later, with introspective, emotional record “When Facing the Things We Turn Away From.” Both were products of emotional stewing during the pandemic and allowed the two to create their own bodies of work with all their extra creativity they were holding in. It’s interesting having those albums now and comparing them to 5SOS5, because you can almost tell who wrote which song just by listening.
Emotions, sung completely by Clifford capitalizes on his pop punk vocals and ability to convey dark emotions. You Don’t Go To Parties and Bloodhound utilize the writing of bassist Calum Hood as well as his unique blend of falsetto and deep vocals to make them come to life. TEARS!, the first song in 5SOS history to be sung completely by Irwin, sounds like it could be interchanged between “Superbloom” and “5SOS5.” The band has managed to create a completely cohesive body of work that is still reflective of all their individual strengths.
After listening to it nonstop for the last two weeks, my top three tracks are Bleach, Easy For You To Say, and Emotions. I’m so proud of the band and the success they’ve had with this album so far. Each song now has over a million streams on Spotify, and it reached number 1 in the UK, Scotland, and Australia. They truly outdid themselves with “5SOS5,” and I’m so happy to call myself a fan!