Stephanie Gambill/Staff Writer
June 15th marked the release of Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer’s third studio album ‘Youngblood.’ Throughout the “Youngblood” album, their style and songwriting can be described as being heavily influenced by other bands such as Blink-182, Green Day, My Chemical Romance and Boys Like Girls. Each song has at least two band members listed on the song credits, exemplifying the album, and bands growth as a whole.
What makes this album so different from their previous, is the apparent reinvention of their sound. Before, their music could be categorized as pop-punk, a genre that many would argue has a shelf life that acts as the nail in the coffin for many up and coming bands.
So it came as no surprise with this album, that the band had decided to switch things up, leaning farther into the pop genre, with tunes such as “Youngblood” and “Want You Back” that really help mature the band’s style. It takes away from the rough image the band had previously owned, transforming into music that is more radio-friendly pop.
One of the better songs on the album is “Ghost of You” where the first five seconds hold a chord pattern similar to the beginning chords of “Break Even” by The Script. That familiarity acted as a guiding point for the rest of the song as they follow parallel themes of break up and the unevenness of break ups.
The entire album is littered with songs where heartbreak is a recurring theme, but another theme is that of loneliness. With a song like “Woke Up in Japan” where there are lyrics that read “I woke up in Japan I’m feeling low/I’m feeling lonely” This album also talks about fast-gained fame and its effect on the relatively young band.
With a song like “More” that has lyrics like “A house that’s full of everything we wanted/But it’s an empty home, empty home” it makes the listener wonder if the band has what it takes for the long haul. Personally, with the band moving in this new direction, I think they have successfully built the foundation for the rest of their career.
They sacrifice the image that they cultivated in the change of their style; the one that made them stand out in the first place. However, that same uncaring vibe that their work held earlier, could have easily been their downfall. “Youngblood” there is a certain level of vulnerability to them—a raw nature that wasn’t there before.
5SOS announced that the band would be embarking on the Meet You There Tour in order to support the album. All in all, this third album has acted as a jumping off point for the band, pushing them into their further ventures.
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