After months of waiting, fans of the Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer, or 5SOS for short, were treated to the band’s fifth studio album 5SOS5 on September 23.
The new album comes two years after the band’s last release, which was CALM in March 2020. In celebration of the new album, the band also held a special concert, The Feeling of Falling Upwards, on September 22 at The Royal Albert Hall in London.
5SOS5 shows the band taking a completely new direction with their music. Fans were treated to snipits of the album prior to the official release through singles such as, “Complete Mess,” “Take My Hand,” “My Myself and I,” “Blender,” and “Older.” While five singles seems like a lot of singles for one album, the full tracklist comes in at 19 songs.
“Easy For You To Say,” track number two, and “Blender” were both performed on the bands 2022 Take My Hand World Tour before they were officially released.
A definite highlight of 5SOS5 is track three, “Bad Omens.” A tragic love song of a failing relationship set to amazing instrumentals, “Bad Omens” shows a type of vulnerability previously unseen on earlier 5SOS tracks.
Another highlight of the album is track seven, “Older.” The song was co-written by lead vocalist Luke Hemmings and his fiancé, Sierra Deaton. “Luke and I started this idea in our living room back in March 2019 as an ode to 50’s love songs, but it wasn’t until he jokingly sent a voice memo of it years later that Michael convinced us we needed to finish it together. And I’m so happy he did,” Deaton wrote on her Instagram page when the song was released. “Older” perfectly captures an old fashioned type of love with its soft piano instrumentals and dual vocals by both Hemmings and Deaton.
The previous 5SOS album, CALM, was sung primarily by Hemmings; however 5SOS5 sees bassist Calum Hood, drummer Ashton Irwin, and lead guitarist Michael Clifford all taking their time in the spotlight and singing on different tracks.
Calum Hood perfectly captures the melancholy mood for track nine, “You Don’t Go to Parties,” while Michael Clifford brings the band back to its roots with track seventeen, “Emotions.”
Fans have been eagerly awaiting 5SOS5 for months now, even before the announcement of it in May of this year. Presales of the album were available in May, along with exclusive merchandise, CD’s, cassettes, and vinyl in different colors. However, on the vinyl version of the album, tracks 15-19 are not available. These five tracks are available on the CD and streaming versions of 5SOS5.
5SOS5 delivered everything that fans have been waiting for for so long. Easily the band’s most honest album to date, 5SOS5 is truly their best work and shows a new sense of maturity in the band members lives and songwriting that was unseen before.
“5SOS5 is the manifestation of a ten year story together as a band,” Ashton Irwin wrote on Instagram when the album was announced. “I am grateful how the creation of this album has changed my life for the better & I couldn’t be more excited to share this with you.”
