On Sept. 23, the band 5 Seconds of Summer released their fifth studio album, “5SOS5.”
This 19-track album is appropriately their third self-titled album, as it brings about a new look for the band- one that separates them from their pop-punk roots and moves them into a more mature era.
The album features vocals from all members, but those from Michael Clifford and Ashton Irwin, which are sometimes rare in songs from the band, were refreshing and exciting to hear.
The singles on this album – “Complete Mess,” “Take My Hand,” “Me Myself and I,” “Older” and “Blender” – aren’t quite what make the album but are perfect as teasers to what a great album it truly is. I can’t quite say that any of them are my favorite, and for the most part, they are kind of just…there. Don’t get me wrong, I think they’re amazing, but if I had to rank them, they would probably be toward the middle of the list. This may also be because a few of them came out months before the album was released, so the new has worn off of them.
Although this may be a bit of a controversial opinion, I feel as though the song “Older” should’ve been left off of this album entirely. The duet between band member Luke Hemmings and his fiancée, Sierra Deaton, although beautiful and incredibly well written, felt out of place with the other songs. It would’ve been better if it had been released under Hemmings’ solo work. It also strays from the traditional love song, with lyrics like “cocaine-colored wedding dress.” It’s truly a testimony to Hemmings’ lyrical skills and would’ve fit perfectly in his solo discography.
There are a few songs – “Tears,” “Easy for You to Say” and “Haze” – that I simply don’t like. They feel incohesive with the rest of the album. They’re all a bit too upbeat for their subject matter, especially “Easy for You to Say,” which feels more like a remix of a sad song. I feel as though the song would’ve been better as a traditional slow, minor key song, especially considering the sad nature of the song. Especially with lyrics like “A Youth that was stolen and filled with mistakes / I turned all around and looked for someone to blame” and “A darkness that holds me / And loves when I bleed.”
The songs on this album that I think are the best include: “Bad Omens,” “You Don’t Go to Parties,” “Caramel,” “Best Friends,” “Bleach,” “Mood Swings” and “Emotions.” My favorite lyrics in particular being from “Bad Omens” – “I died when you left that night for the thousandth time because you love somebody else.” But truly the best song to me was “Best Friends.” This is possibly my favorite song on this album. This upbeat song brings about such an intense feeling of nostalgia. I can’t quite put into words why I like it so much, except to offer this sentiment: this is why I fell in love with this band.