Tune In: 5 Seconds of Summer
November 18, 2015
Since making their debut two years ago by opening for One Direction, Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer has been trying to cross the thin line dividing the teen pop and pop-punk genres. With their second album, “Sounds Good Feels Good,” edging toward a pop sound, it’s unclear whether it’s appropriate to classify them under the same category as some of their biggest influences, Green Day and Good Charlotte.
As singles that lacked substance, aside from the angst of teenage rebellion, were being released weeks before the album debuted, I began lowering my expectations. However, I clung on to that last bit of hope I had as a long time fan that the unreleased songs would redeem the rest of the album. Yet, I am forced to put aside my loyalty and admit that their new album, albeit a few songs, lacks what 5SOS once did best: produce meaningful lyrics set to youthful tunes.
The first four songs in the album are inconsistent from the more serious mood of the other songs, but it’s a welcome change. With tracks exploding with guitar and an energy that makes you want to shout the lyrics at the top of your lungs, “She’s Kinda Hot,” “Money,” “Permanent Vacation,” and “Hey Everybody!” are the closest the album comes to having a remotely punk sound. “Permanent Vacation,” one of the only songs I added to my playlist, just might be the best song of the album. However, returning to my original issue, the lyrics of these songs don’t get much deeper than “she maxed her credit card and don’t got a job.”
There is an exact point in the album, after these first four songs, when the remaining tracks lose steam and blend together in an indistinguishable attempt to create a darker sound. Sonically, this part of the album lacks any individuality or excitement, and was almost sleep inducing. The acoustic and subdued rumination of “Invisible,” which almost sounds like whining to a melody, and the synth heavy, lethargic “Vapor” are only two of the many songs that are best left to be skipped when they come up on shuffle.
While I can appreciate 5SOS’ attempt at broadening their horizons, it’s safe to say that they didn’t quite hit the mark with latter half of the album. However, that’s not to say that the songs were recorded in vain, as they attest to how talented each member is with their respective instruments.
5SOS is very clearly at their best when they’re shouting out support for the underdogs, as they do in the first few songs. However, it doesn’t make up for the rest of the monotonous album. I’m left putting the few songs that I like on repeat until their next album comes out, and hoping that “Sounds Good Feels Good,” perhaps more fittingly “Sounds Average Feels Boring,” is just the awkward teen phase for 5SOS.
