By Leighah Beausoleil
Editor-in-Chief
The Australian pop-rock band, 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS), released its fifth studio album Sept. 23 titled, “5SOS5.”
The official album includes 14 tracks, with the deluxe edition encompassing an additional five tracks.
The band began working on this album following the release of their previous album “C.A.L.M.” in 2020.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 5SOS’s “No Shame” tour was rescheduled on multiple occasions, until it was finally able to take place this year under the name of “Take My Hand” - one of the songs on their new album.
As someone who was included in the group of people left patiently waiting for the day their tour would finally take place, I certainly appreciated the opportunity to get a sneak peak at some of the singles that were not yet released, such as “BLENDER.”
Attending the concert was an amazing experience and the band is always sure to put on an exceptional show for their fans.
Prior to the launch of this latest album, five singles were released, including “COMPLETE MESS,” “Take My Hand,” “Me Myself & I,” “BLENDER,” and “Older.”
Fans had the opportunity to pre-order this album in a number of mediums such as digital, CD, vinyl, and cassette.
A tradition with some of their most recent albums is to provide signed copies of the CDs that were pre-ordered. However for “5SOS5,” fans were able to choose one of five albums - one that included the thumb prints of all four band members or one that focused on a single band member.
The members of the band are Luke Hemmings, guitar and lead vocals; Michael Clifford, guitar and vocals; Calum Hood, bass and vocals; and Ashton Irwin, drums and minimal vocals.
Though the CD albums are quite nice, they are not enclosed in a plastic case, which could leave the album vulnerable to damage.
However, no matter how this album is packaged or what medium you purchase it in, nothing can draw away from the fact that the music on this album is phenomenal.
To long-time fans of this band, the album is clearly a culmination of all that was good in the four that came before it and with a total of 19 tracks, it is most certainly a treat.
The opening of the album is one of the singles previously released - “COMPLETE MESS.”
Though this song has been out for a while and doesn’t have the same awe-factor it did when first released, it does demonstrate a significant change from the band's last two albums and that’s the reinclusion of all three vocalists.
Much of 5SOS’s early music featured each vocalist on a given song with their own verse. However, in the recent albums the band began to have the songs mainly sung by Hemmings with one or two by Hood.
Hearing this song shift from Hemmings to Hood and then to Clifford brings long-time fans back to the early days, giving such a sense of nostalgia as the band has not too long ago celebrated 10 years since their first gig.
Though it is still clear how much 5SOS has grown throughout their career, having started when most of them were still under the age of 18, and the maturity they have gained is reflected in each song.
The tour’s namesake “Take My Hand” rings in at number five on the album.
A common theme in some of 5SOS’s songs is the passage of time and wanting to keep those they love close as much of their time, and youth, is spent away on tour and producing music.
This theme is especially shown through the lyrics of this song as Hemmings sings, “Shut my eyes right at 17,” and later follows up with, “Open my eyes right at 23.”
This song is a good one with a great beat and meaningful message that many of their fans can relate to as they, too, are growing up with the band.
The band also took more advantage of social media when promoting their album - using platforms such as TikTok to start trends among fans with some of the released singles.
One of which was with the song “Older,” arguably one of the best songs on the album.
This song features Sierra Deaton, Hemmings’ fiancé, who was formerly a part of the Alex & Sierra duo.
The band rarely has songs featuring other artists, and it is special given their relationship.
It's a soft song, the only slow one on the album, and it is so undeniably beautiful. Their voices pair nicely with one another.
Carrying on the theme, this song is about not wanting to grow older without the person they love by their side and a hope that as they grow older, time will slow down, and they can continue to be with each other.
The song opens with a quiet piano playing along with the words, until the chorus, when the drums begin to pick up, giving the lyrics more power.
The chorus states, “I don't wanna get older / Without your head on my shoulder / On the day that you leave me / I'll forever be bleeding, love / As forever comes closer / Hope the world will spin slower.”
The strength of the verses that make up the song comes from the lines where alliteration is used such as in the line, “My dear devoted delicate.”
When this track was released as the final single before the drop of the album, fans began to create videos using the song in the background and showing off the people they cannot live without.
“Bleach” is the 13th track on the album and describes the feeling of wanting a fresh start after losing someone important in life.
A lot of the time, people will change something about themselves to do this, such as altering their hair.
Hemmings sings the lyrics, “If there’s bleach in the hallways, I can start over / Bleaching my hair every Saturday / I’m washing it out ’til I’ve figured it out / Living without you.”
This is an amazing song with a great rhythm, and once again features all three vocalists.
There is a lot of power in this track both lyrically and rhythmically that gives listeners the sense of pain the person in the song feels as they try to sort out their life.
This track is very representative of 5SOS and their brand as each of their songs moves fans in one way or another, giving them relatable lyrics, important messages, and sharing the emotion of what it is to be human.
Overall, this is an amazing, powerful album and demonstrates just how far the band has come in the past 10 years.
A: Wouldn’t want to grow older without me, myself, and 5SOS5