Today I'm going to be doing a review of 5 Seconds of Summer's new album, Sounds Good Feels Good.
Hailed as 'the biggest new rock act in the world', the four lads from Australia had huge expectations to live up to, especially seen as the second album typically makes or breaks the artist.
Posting cryptic clues on social media leading fans to find artwork all over the world getting ready for 'The New Broken Scene', 5SOS amassed a huge hype in the month before the album release.
Question is, would Sounds Good Feels Good be as good it was being made out?
The band have taken a new direction with this album. Their musical knowledge and creativity shine through, and they've managed to overhaul their sound without alienating their fans, most of whom come from a 'pop' background.
Some of the songs on the album are comparable to other well established songs; 'Hey Everybody' for example sounds hauntingly similar to Duran Duran's 'Hungry Like The Wolf', and My Chemical Romance fans have claimed the lead single 'She's Kinda Hot' is a rip off of the 2007 anthem 'Holiday'.
However, other songs on the album are absolute belters. 'Jet Black Heart' is the perfect song for this band, showing they can appeal to both sides of their audience.
'Airplanes', 'The Girl Who Cried Wolf', 'Broken Home' and 'Outer Space/Carry On' are bloody brilliant, proving that the band can write their own catchy songs which lend themselves perfectly to angsty arena sing along sessions.
I have to give credit where credit is due, this album for me, did live up to the hype. Undoubtedly, the album leans more towards the pop side rather than rock, but there are some real moments where the potential is literally screaming out.
There is no denying that 5 Seconds of Summer are a talented band; lead singer Luke Hemmings has that smooth tone to his voice that lends itself perfectly to the more emotional tracks, lead guitarist Michael Clifford really pushes the band into the 'rock' genre with his impressive 'Billie Joe Armstrong' sounding voice, bassist Calum Hood is an outstanding all rounder, and drummer Ashton Irwin is simply one of the most talented musicians there is out there at the moment.
Overall, it's a great album. There is endless amounts of potential with this band, and I can't wait to see what they come up with next.
