HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: 5 Seconds Of Summer – 5 Seconds Of Summer
5 SECONDS OF SUMMER split the rock world in half ten years ago when they appeared on the cover of Rock Sound Magazine. Some hardcore rock fans dismissed them as a boyband best known as the support act of ONE DIRECTION, who were arguably the biggest boyband of the early 2010s, and for creating a song about American Apparel underwear that you couldn’t escape from every time you turned on the radio or were at the supermarket. But Rock Sound believed that the quartet from Sydney, Australia could turn dutiful teenage pop fans into curious listeners of rock music. Did 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER even classify as rock?
The answer is yes – to a certain extent. Formed in the Sydeney suburbs, lead singer/guitarist Luke Hemmings, guitarist Michael Clifford, bassist Calum Hood gained a substantian following on YouTube posting cover songs. Drummer Ashton Irwin joined the band after Clifford messaged him on Facebook as the band were going to play their first show and 200 people were going to be there. The reality was that the band ended up playing their first show at the Annadale Hotel – a pub in Sydney – on December 3, 2011 to only twelve people. But since that day, they’ve maintained the same line-up, working hard and growing an audeicne online and in person after extensive touring. After getting noticed by Louis Tomlinson from ONE DIRECTION in 2012, 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER were propelled to dizzying heights of fame after supporting ONE DIRECTION on their Take Me Home tour in 2013, and again in 2014 on the boyband’s Where We Are stadium tour.
Whilst 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER‘s breakout hit, She Looks So Perfect, might’ve been bubblegum pop, it’s also very guitar-driven, opening with a guitar note before leading into the catchiest ‘Heys’ ever put to music. Throughout their self-titled debut album, there are elements of rock mixed in with sugary sweet pop, whether it is the paint-by-numbers pop-rock of Don’t Stop, or the guitar-driven Good Girls.
5 SECONDS OF SUMMER might not have been reinventing pop-rock by any means, but then again, the band were only three years into their career, having formed in late 2011, and three-quarters of the band were still in their teens at the time of this album’s release. Yet, there is also an undeniable charm about this album, with lyrics about wanting to escape town with a romantic partner (Kiss Me, Kiss Me), crushing on someone older (18), or wishing that you could commit to a relationship after a break-up (Everything I Didn’t Say). Admittedly, this is where the album falters sonically as the production is less inspiring and leans more into pop.
However, everything changes when Beside You comes on. This is a song that has been in 5 SEONDS OF SUMMER‘s discography since their debut 2012 EP Somewhere New. This re-recorded version breathes new life into the song, and it’s become a staple of their live shows and a fan-favourite. End Up Here is a fast-paced pop-rock song that namechecks both KURT COBAIN and Livin’ On A Prayer by BON JOVI. Whilst Long Way Home and Heartbreak Girl are mostly forgettable, the cheeky English Love Affair brings the album back up to speed. The standard edition ends with Amnesia, an acoustic break-up song that is easily one of the best written by the band.
Interestingly enough, the band’s more rockier sound is heard on the extended edition of the album. Social Casualty is a drum-heavy rock song that talks about leaving town to escape the past, Never Be is a mid-tempo song in the same vein as Beside You. Whilst Voodoo Doll is so overproduced that it threatens to burst your eardrums, the acoustic version of Don’t Stop is a good antidote. There is also a good foundation throughout this album that is further extended upon in their second album Sounds Good Feels Good (2015).
Critically, 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER‘s self-titled earned favourable reviews, with The Guardian calling the album ‘lyrical mischief’ and rating it 3/5, whereas AllMusic gave it 3.5/5 and said that the album is “packed with immediately hummable melodies that anyone over 30 will probably feel slightly guilty for remembering.” The album sold 259,000, and hit Number One in fourteen countries, including America and Australia. It reached Number Two in the UK.
Overall, ten years on, it’s interesting to listen back to this album. Whilst the band only played four songs from the album on their most recent tour The 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER Show, and their third album Youngblood (2018) and fourth album Calm (2020) saw them swap their pop-rock sound for synth-pop, their fifth album 5SOS5 (2022) saw them return back to their roots in a mature way. Lyrically, their self-titled album is more risque than anything that ONE DIRECTION ever released. Sonically, the album mostly works well thanks to the brilliant production by John Feldmann, although some of the songs do sound too clean cut and sometimes leans more into pop than rock. But this is an album that shows that 5 SECONDS OF SUMMER could break out of the shadow of the biggest boyband and shine on their own. They might’ve never reached the heights of fame ONE DIRECTION did, but this album did show a generation of teenage fans that there is more music out there than what’s on the radio.
5 Seconds Of Summer was originally released on June 27, 2014 via Capitol Records
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