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What started out as four Australian boys covering songs on YouTube, has now become one of the most sensational boy bands (although they are primarily a pop rock band) of 2014. 5 Seconds of Summer, also known as 5sos, rose to international fame after opening up for One Direction on their Take Me Home Tour. On July 22nd, 5sos released their self-titled debut studio album. Quite a few of the songs on the album were available to the public before the release date and have all made it onto the top songs chart on iTunes in the U.S. The band is set to tour on their Rock Out With Your Socks Out Tour in May and June 2015. They will also be touring throughout the UK, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Fans are happy to hear that 5sos will be releasing a deluxe edition with four bonus songs, as well.
After listening to the whole album, I can say that I enjoyed most of the songs. Although I do like One Direction better, 5 Seconds of Summer comes in pretty close. And it seems to me that a lot of 1D fans have had no problems making room for this new band. They also write their own songs and play their own instruments, which is always a plus in my book. The theme I’m sensing here for this album is youth and love. Regardless of the fact that some people are calling 5 Seconds of Summer a One Direction rip off, I think that these guys have a lot of talent and potential.
She Looks So Perfect
This first song is actually my favorite one on the album. It’s also the first breakout hit that captured everyone’s attention. The chorus is so catchy that even my mom couldn’t help but sing along to it while driving in the car. I think it’s the perfect summer song of 2014. It just has this all around feel-good beat to it, as well as fun lyrics that give off a ‘young love’ vibe, such as, “she looks so perfect standing there, in my American Apparel underwear.”
Don’t Stop
I’m not gonna lie, when I first listened to this song I had to do a double-take to make sure that I wasn’t listening to One Direction because it’s totally a song that they would sing. The sound and rythm is very similar, but nevertheless, it’s a great song to dance to in the shower(don’t judge).
Good Girls
This song is quite entertaining to listen to and made me laugh. The lyrics tell a story of how a girl decieves her parents into thinking that she’s a so-called “good” girl, while in reality, she’s not so innocent and sneaks out with her boyfriend all the time behind their back. I’m a strong believer in the saying, “everything is not what it seems”, and these lyrics are so true. For example, I’ve had a friend who was “good” in her strict parents’ mind, but they had no clue about what she really did when they weren’t looking.
Kiss Me Kiss Me
This song really takes me back to an innocent time in my life and reminds me of my first boyfriend when everything just felt so new and wonderful. With lyrics like, “here’s to teenage memories”, it’s quite obvious that this song surrounds the idea of teenage love, or perhaps the first love(which you never forget). The lyrics are very cute and relateable. There’s also a little guitar solo thrown in, which complements the song.
18
This is probably my least favorite song on the album. There’s just something about it that’s very choppy, which may be due to the lack of a hook. The rythm and beat is awkward, which makes it impossible to dance or head bob to. However, the lyrics are quite clever and original. Unfortunately, it just sounded too immature in my opinion.
Everything I Didn’t Say
I really liked the melody of this song. You can tell from listening to the lyrics that there is some sort of regret that the guy has made in a past relationship. It sounds to me that he took her for granted and before he knew it, she was gone. Although the song has a sad feel to it, there is a hint of hope and it’s not emotionally over-the-top or cliche.
Beside You
This one is a bit on the sadder side, but nevertheless, a decent song. You can tell from the lyrics that it’s clearly about a long distance relationship in which the boy sincerely misses the girl. Something about this song is very touching, especially if you’ve experienced a long distance relationship like I did. You don’t realize how tough it is until you actually go through it. It’s simply a relateable theme, just like the rest of 5 Second of Summer’s songs are.
End Up Here
This song is a bit quirky, and I am a big fan of quirkiness, if I do say so myself. Throughout the lyrics, they reference classic rock, which I really like. An example would be in the lyrics, “You said you liked my Cobain shirt” and “You’re telling me how you love that song about living on a prayer.” It’s just an overrall fun song to sing along to.
Long Way Home
Although this song has a similar plot as Kiss Me Kiss Me, it sounds a bit more mature and serious, while still maintaining that reckless young love feel. It has such a strong rythm throughout, which makes it my third favorite song. It gave me the chills and everyone knows that when you get the chills, the music has hit you hard. The only reason that this song isn’t higher up on my 5sos top song list is because the lyrics aren’t really original or unique, unlike most of the others. But it definitely makes for an awesome song to listen to while on a night drive.
Heartbreak Girl
This is my second favorite song on the album. I like it because it has an alternative rock feel to it, which differs from the rest of the songs. To sum up the song, it’s refreshingly adorable. It’s basically about a boy that likes a girl who only sees him as a friend, meanwhile she has a boyfriend who treats her badly and he treats her good. Besides the chorus, my favorite line is the first one, “You call me up, it’s like a broken record, saying that your heart hurts, that you never get over him getting over you.” Just reading the lyrics, it appears choppy but it definitely doesn’t sound it.
Mrs. All American
I thought that this song was a cute way for the Australian boy band to playfully tease their fans in the U.S. With lyrics like, “Walk my way, Mrs. All American”, it must be hard for the fan girls not to imagine that it was directed at them. All in all, the song has a pretty good beat, as well.
Amnesia
I think they saved the saddest song for last because this one will definitely tug at some emotional strings once you hear it. I kind of like how they switched up the tone in this one by making it slow and putting it as the finale. It’s pretty risky, but it works. I think everyone can relate to this song, which is about a boy who wishes that he could wake up with amnesia because its hard for him to let go of a break up and forget about the girl. I just went through a break up two months ago and am still recovering from it, so it’s definitely sad to listen to. I think we can all agree that break ups are never easy.
