Sounds Good Feels Good (Album Review)


5 Seconds of Summer's new album, Sounds Good Feels Good, has made waves through the music industry since its release last Friday, why? Because, they seem to have managed to escape the hold of the 'boyband' stereotype, well done lads! This new album is much darker than their debut, self-titled album which was released last June, they've kept a lot of the upbeat, feel good tunes but the lyrics address a range of much darker topics; heartache, mental health and poverty. There are obvious influences from Good Charlotte's Joel and Benji Madden as well as Deryck Whibley from Sum 41 as the album takes a more pop-punk direction rather than the poppy, feel good nature of their previous tracks.


Opening with Money, the catchy anthem screams youth, having fun and owning the night with heavy, distorted guitars to back the song up. She's Kinda Hot, the first single from the album has a rather deeper meaning than the name would suggest. Written about mental health and the struggles of being an outcast around an impressive guitar solo mid-track, 5 Seconds of Summer welcome you to the New Broken Scene. The third track, which is also their second single, Hey Everybody bears a strong likeness, if not slightly more alternative, to Duran Duran's Hungry Like The Wolf. However this is about escaping poverty with the central lyric being "we don't have to live this way". Jet Black Heart depicts the pain of a breakup whilst Vapor compares love addiction to vaping.

The best track off the album is undoubtedly Broken Home, although brace yourself, this one is an emotional one so be prepared. In an interview with Fuse, John Feldmann allured to it being based upon the childhood of drummer, Ashton Irwin, growing up with an alcoholic father. It is all stripped back, strings and strong lead vocals from Luke Hemmings, a rather different tone to the rest of the album. The lyrics expose the pain of growing up in a broken home "hey mum, hey dad when did this end, where did you lose your happiness, I'm here alone inside of this broken home".

Other songs like San Francisco, which is a track that's all acoustic guitars and much more light-hearted, Safety Pin and Fly Away, which are catchy anthems like Money and Hey Everybody, don't allow for too much dwelling upon the tough realities referred to in the album and, instead, keep the upbeat tone going.

This album is definitely 5 Seconds of Summer's great escape from the constant comparisons to One Direction and a shift in tone from their Busted style, feel good first album. It's taken them a little over a year but, finally, 5 Seconds of Summer's music might just get the recognition it deserves.

Welcome to the new broken scene.

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