.png)
"This nostalgia in my bones. Why can't I forget it?" – Easy For You To Say
5SOS5
5 Seconds of Summer
Available on all leading music platforms
23 September 2021
19 Songs
5SOS5 is the third studio album of 5 Second of Summer (5SOS), released on the 23rd of September, 2022. Through the experimental songs, we see Luke, Ashton, Michael, and Calum’s friendship, memories, hardships, and love experiences over the years creating a beautifully hand-crafted album.
Intro
Ria: It’s been so long since I’ve last listened to 5 Seconds of Summer. I used to have them on repeat alongside Panic! and FOB screaming at the top of my lungs (sorry mom and dad). I think I fizzled out my band era, but now’s the best time to get back to it, because I am excited to hear what they’ve been working on it 5SOS5. And let me start by saying that the instrumentals in this album absolutely slap.
Jhanya: Ahhhh 5SOS, my childhood music alongside 1D, Shawn Mendes, SuJu, and Panic! and I’m so glad that they’re still active in the industry as a group until this day (unlike a certain group that went in different directions *ehem*). I haven’t really been following them as much as before, but I was stoked to hear that they had a new album after hearing the 5 singles they released earlier this year. As a whole, I think this album is just a vibe. And I can see myself listening to it as my background music while studying.
Instrumentals
Ria: I’ve listened to this album as a whole around three times now, and still I am blown away by the instrumentals in almost all the songs. The production of each song is so articulate. Each song has a unique combination of bass, guitar riffs, piano, and synths but is still so cohesive with the other songs on the album. And, for me, it’s the instrumentals that make the songs so addicting. Case in point, my two top songs in the album – Easy For You To Say and BLENDED. I’d take BLENDED as a better example though because Easy For You To Say for me just as a whole is so addictingly perfect. BLENDED took the instrumentals to a next level and whenever I hear the songs, I can’t help but focus on listening to the blended instrumentals (hehe didya see what I did there?).
Jhanya: The best part of this album. I really like how they showed their maturity through the production of the tracks in 5SOS5. The songs felt familiar, yet fresh at the same time and it’s what caught my attention as I listened to the album. To be fair, for their past 2 albums the instruments have been the highlights for me, but this time around, the whole thing just felt more cohesive and complemented the thematic depth of some of the tracks.
Melody and Vocals
Jhanya: The melody and vocals aren’t really that different from their last albums, CALM and Youngblood. But they were definitely elevated by the instruments in 5SOS5. I really did, however, love that they distributed their lines A LOT more in this album. I’ve always had a soft spot for Calum’s vocals and hearing him a lot more this time and in the recent tracks made me so happy.
Ria: For their vocals, I’ve always known Luke to have a great tenor voice. I wouldn’t say it really stood out to me before, but in this album, it did. There’s something so raw and emotional in the way he sang on this album. I really think that each song means so much to the whole group and he was able to portray that. Not to mention the subtle but stellar accompanying voices by the other voices.
Jhanya: To add to the topic of Luke’s voice, his vocals and Sierra Deaton’s (his fiance) [omg?!?!? Fiancee? I DID NOT KNOW?!] blended so well together during “Older” and made the song even sweeter and more touching to listen to.
Lyrics
Ria: 5SOS5 has got to be the most lyrically meaningful out of all of 5SOS’s albums. The album itself can be said to be a story. A story of getting lost, hardships, sadness, and then picking up the pieces to be whole again with friends and family and Me, Myself, and I. I loved the different connotations of each song and the significance it had to the whole story.
Jhanya: The lyricism overall in the album feels more powerful and heartfelt. Especially since it showcases the group’s emotions a lot more given their involvement in the production of the album as well. I especially liked the lines “this nostalgia in my bones / why can’t I forget it?” and “A youth that was stolen and filled with mistakes, I turned all around, looked for someone to blame,” in Easy For You To Say which talks about the things they have been through as a group in the early years of their career that ultimately lead them to where they are today.
Final Thoughts
Ria's Favorites: Easy For You To Say, BLENDER
Ria: This new style 5SOS has shown in 5SOS5 shows the versatility and the successful experimentation they’ve done as a band. And having not listened to their songs for so long, I’ve forgotten how good their songs are!! 5SOS5 is definitely the most meaningful album they’ve put out, to date, and with its instrumentation and melodies absolutely addicting.
Jhanya’s Favorites: BLENDER, Emotions
Jhanya: As much as I adore the punk-pop albums of 5SOS that made them who they are now, 5SOS5 in my opinion, is the group's best work to date in terms of technical aspects and displaying how their sound has matured over the years. The boys were able to experiment both with the sound and lyrics in the different tracks in 5SOS5 and at the same time gave more spotlight to Calum and Michael who weren’t always the frontmen when it came to the songs. Yes, I know a lot of fans were disappointed as they missed the pop-punk era of 5SOS, but at the same time, it’s nice to see an artist, especially a group find the genre they’re comfortable with and can get creative with.
Rating
Criteria | Jhanya | Ria |
|---|---|---|
Lyrics (2) | 1.5 | 1.49 |
Melody (2) | 1.75 | 1.58 |
Instrumentation (1.5) | 1.5 | 1.28 |
Meaning (1.5) | 1.25 | 1.24 |
Originality (1) | 0.75 | 0.59 |
Relevance (1) | 1 | 0.80 |
Loop Value (1) | 1 | 0.79 |
TOTAL | 8.75 | 7.76 |
Final Score | 8.57 | |
FINAL RATING:
