When the band 5 Seconds of Summer made it on my radar, I was in the eighth grade. I was in my Imagine Dragons phase, an inevitable landmark in any early 2000s child’s life. 5SOS was a vibrant change from the dispiriting rock I had been used to. Their songs contained youthful hope in the form of romantic high school problems.
Middle school was all about overreacting to emotions and early 5 Seconds of Summer chose to channel those vivid feelings into song. Starting out, they used the guitar and drums to scream their problems into the void of space (and through my iPad mini). Although their first album came out in 2014, I enjoyed it just as much two years later.
“Don’t Stop” was the teen angst anthem that piqued my interest, but “Heartbreak Girl” kept me coming back for more.
The debut album invites you into a middle class suburban garage with a solid rock beat and electric guitar. It’s true that young 5SOS not only invited the bad-boy garage band vibe, but wholeheartedly perfected it.
Its lyrics resonate with younger audiences that idolize these kinds of boy bands. The brand had been done before, but it was still as captivating as ever.
Naturally, obsessions come and go when you’re transitioning from middle school to high school. Before long, I had found a new music group to occupy my time.
When 5 Seconds of Summer released an album that broke their usual scrappy punk boy band trademark, I was once again late to the party. “Youngblood” was rising in fame so rapidly that I disregarded the album as overplayed and overrated.
That was a massive mistake on my part.
The album was an entire mood shift for the band. The lead singer’s voice shifted from a strained rocker shout into a smooth moody tone. It was unexpected but highly admired since he would now get the chance to prove himself as a great vocalist.
As a former 5SOS fanatic, I was shocked and intrigued. I noticed upon first listen that this new music was different.
The percussion was less sporadic and contained decisive beats, reminding me of car tires hitting bumps in the pavement on the highway. When listening to any given song on this album, my mind travels to a place filled with midnight drives, car bass booming and windows all the way down.
Even with all the improvements, I was more than happy to see that amid the new there was still a bit of the old. Songs like “Why Won’t You Love Me” bring back the 2014 feelings and mix them with a more mature sound.
This reminiscing has not been driven just by simple nostalgia. There is a reason behind my trip down memory lane. On Sept. 23, 2022, the band released an album titled “5SOS5” after teasing fans with five singles.
As a game, my sister and I tried to guess which songs would be our favorites just from the titles a month before release day. When the album dropped, we played them all and decided whether we were right. I ended up being an awful guesser, but my sister selected only the best. Together we decided “Flatline,” “Me Myself & I” and “Best Friends” ranked highest on our list.
The new album hit home with me in several ways. Songs about not wanting to get older and appreciating your friends had my eyes a bit watery.
How could this boy band from my youth recognize so clearly the emotions I had been feeling?
How could they take these feelings and place them into songs?
The process never ceases to astound me.
At its core, music is about representing feelings. It shows the raw side of life and proves that everyone desires the same things: love, human connection and purpose.
“5SOS5” perfectly captures how it feels to watch your life move on while your mind is still stuck in one state. If I gathered one thing from the latest album, it is that time is fleeting and memories are precious.
