5 Seconds of Summer - 55055
by Nick Dent-Robinson
published: 8 / 11 / 2022
Label:
BMG
Format: CD
intro
Versatile and mature fifth album from Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer who have moved away successfully from their pop-punk roots
Versatile and mature fifth album from Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer who have moved away successfully from their pop-punk roots Australian quartet 5 Seconds of Summer formed at school and posted Justin Bieber covers on YouTube before finally breaking through after touring with One Direction in 2013. They took care to be edgy enough to attract the attention of teenage girls whilst ensuring they were always sufficiently wholesome not to frighten any parents. They promoted themselves as a cheery Aussie pop-punk act and managed to top the US charts with their first three albums. But, as they matured, they appreciated they could only survive so long with hit songs that “sounded like The Inbetweeners set to music” (as one of the band has put it) - and on their fifth album, ‘5SOS5’, a far more thoughtful, contemplative approach has surfaced. High octane riffs are toned down now in favour of twinkling keyboards and nicely strummed acoustics on this new album – which has nineteen tracks and was largely produced by the band's very competent guitarist, Michael Clifford. Album highlights include power ballad ‘Complete Mess’ which employs subtle electronics and ‘Older’ which is a nice wistful and tender piano duet featuring singer Luke Hemmings and his fiancee Sierra Deaton. The decision of 5 Seconds Of Summer to stray away from their original punk-pop sound may be seen by some as odd, given that a number of punky newcomers like Olivia Rodrigo are suddenly so popular now. - But, as a longer-term strategy, it probably makes good sense for the band to be demonstrating their versatility and maturity with ‘5SOS5’ which is a likeable and accomplished album with broader appeal.
Track Listing:-
1 Complete Mess2 Easy For You To Say
3 Bad Omens
4 Me Myself & I
5 Take My Hand
6 Carousel
7 Older
8 Haze
9 You Don’t Go To Parties
10 Blender
11 Caramel
12 Best Friends
13 Bleach
14 Red Line
Band Links:-
https://5sos.comhttps://twitter.com/5sos
Label Links:-
https://www.bmg.com/uk/https://www.facebook.com/BMGRM
https://twitter.com/BMG
https://www.facebook.com/bmgchrysalisuk
https://twitter.com/bmguk
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