After touring the last album “Sounds Good Feels Good” for a full year and then taking a one year break to create their third album, Five Seconds of Summer is finally back with a new look and a new sound.
After the brief hiatus, Ashton Irwin, 24, Michael Clifford, 22, Calum Hood, 22, and Luke Hemmings, 21 released the first single from the new album in March called, “Want You Back.” Based off of this catchy pop single, we knew 5SOS were no longer the angsty pop-punk teenagers they once were. The single’s pop/eighties sound and catchy chorus proved that 5SOS was not playing around.
The 5SOS3 Tour
The group then embarked on a brief tour called, the “5SOS3 Tour” and played at small intimate venues in Europe and North America to promote the new single, but also to reconnect with their fans after two years of silence. The band surprised fans on tour by playing five new songs from the album, released on June 15.
Out of the five songs, “Moving Along,” “Lie to Me,” “Youngblood,” “Want You Back,” and Talk Fast” there was a song that was clearly a fan favorite, which led it to being the second single. Album title track, “Youngblood” was the second single released in early April. At first, fans were only able to listen to the song if they pre-ordered the album, but it was later released as a single because fans were going crazy over the track.
Starting with a soft first verse and building up to a booming chorus, “Youngblood” quickly won over the hearts of old and new fans. The music video for the song shows fans a behind the scenes look at the 5SOS3 tour and a stellar live performance of the song. The music video shows the clear passion that the guys have for the song and the new album.
“Youngblood” Album Creation Process
This is the first album that 5 Seconds of Summer have released that speaks about their experiences from their 3 world tours, one with One Direction, and the hardcore partying lifestyle the boys got into while on the road.
The band recently released a 20-minute documentary on Apple Music about the difficulties of finding a new sound, but also the memorable and creative lyrical process. “We had this amazing opportunity to really grow as musicians and as people and turn that into [“Youngblood”],” said Clifford.
The Top Tracks
As a longtime fan of the band, I was eager to listen to their first album released in over three years. The album went above and beyond my expectations, each song is incredibly diverse, musically and lyrically than the song before it. 5SOS ditches the pop-punk sound and goes for an eighties-pop vibe on the record that is just irresistible.
Here are my top 3 favorite songs from the album:
1. Lie to Me
The slow break-up pop ballad has some of the best lyrics on the album and reflects the hardships of long distance relationships, while away on tour. 5SOS has always written standout break-up ballads and this is another great one to add to the list.
“It hurts when you’re in a romantic situation and the other person is in it for reasons that you aren’t,” explains Irwin in an episode of “Cocktail Chats,” where the band discusses the meaning behind each song on the new album.
2. Valentine
This song was actually written by the band and well-known pop songwriter, Justin Tranter on Valentine’s Day. This delicious goth/pop treat is about how Valentine’s day doesn’t need to be filled with pressures of getting flowers and chocolates and making the day perfect, because you know you love each other. A line from the chorus says, “throw balloons, teddy bears and chocolate eclairs away, got nothing but love for you, fall more in love everyday.”
3. Ghost of You
If you thought you were an emotional wreck after “Amnesia” from the band’s first album, wait until you hear “Ghost of You.” The song is about trying to move on from a long-lasting love. “So I drown it out like I always do, dancing through our house with the ghost of you,” Hemmings sings in the chorus. The song tells the story about the struggle of cleaning out a house after a break up and finding mementos that remind them of the relationship.
The song ends with the line, “And I chase it down, with a shot of truth, that my feet don’t dance like they did with you.” If you are newly single or recently lost a loved one, this song is guaranteed to make you tear up at least once.
Some other mentionable tracks on the album are: “Babylon,” “Why Won’t You Love Me,” and “Talk Fast.” Each of these songs have creative, dynamic sounds and powerful vocals. With that said, you should listen to the whole album because there really isn’t one that disappoints. It’s safe to say that these three years were worth the wait.
Fan Reactions
Since this album has been three years in the making, fans of the Aussie pop band are officially losing their minds now that the album is finally out. #YOUNGBLOOD was the top trending hashtag on Twitter shortly after the album was released, and fans took full advantage of the hashtag. Here are some of our favorite fan reactions to 5SOS’s new album, “Youngblood.”
5sOs ArE DeaD
5Sos WoN't HaVE sUcCeSs
Me:#YOUNGBLOOD pic.twitter.com/euMAwspDDa— 5 seconds of jerks (@Iookat5sos) June 15, 2018
Words to describe YOUNGBLOOD(which 5sos cant do)
-Melodic
-Pungent
-ominous
-sweet and savory
-rhythmic
-symbolic
-passionate
-bodacious
-different (in a good way)
-uplifting
-catchy
-rich
-euphonic
-Vibrant
-banging
-MASTERPIECE
5SOS IM SO PROUD OF YOU! #YOUNGBLOOD— Samie❤️? (@Bodaciousxhood) June 15, 2018
#YOUNGBLOOD
Mood: pic.twitter.com/LRSWTM3OSv— gi ◟̽◞̽ (@outerspacegi) June 15, 2018
http://twitter.com/softroseshemmo/status/1007493719510020096
Calum: Burn too bright, now the fire's gone, watch it all fall down, BABYLON
Me:#YOUNGBLOOD pic.twitter.com/FJHosNM8iH
— Renata ?? (@renatatags) June 15, 2018
okay so i’ve listened to #YoungBlood in its entirety and i can most certainly conclude that It Is The Best Album I Have Ever Heard. thank you for coming to my ted talk. i still love 5sos punch me in the face.
— keilyn (@purehemmo) June 15, 2018
The album is currently number one in over 29 countries and title track, “Youngblood” has been number one on the Australian charts for four-straight weeks. 5SOS’s “Meet You There” tour kicks off in Toronto, CA at the end of August, and tickets are on sale now.
Featured Image via Twitter/@5sos.
