5SOS returns from hiatus with new single and tour announcement

As One Direction’s biggest fangirl, I would say that 5 Seconds of Summer is considered 1D’s cousin when it comes to pop and boy bands. So I was very excited for its first release in two years. Since 5SOS released its album “Sounds Good Feels Good” in 2015, it’s been working on new music and a new album that will be released this year.

So much has happened in the music world since 2015. 5SOS is still going very strong as a group, while others have disbanded over the years as artists decide to move forward with their solo careers — think 1D and Fifth Harmony. 5SOS released “Want You Back” this past Thursday, Feb. 22.

The thing that makes 5SOS different with this release is how little media attention this solo release got. The band hinted at the single on social media, with two tweets on Feb. 15, one that said #5SOS3ISCOMING ? and another that shared a behind the scenes picture. It wasn’t until Feb. 19, a mere three days before the Feb. 22 release, that the band finally confirmed that new music was coming.

It was a sneaky and low-key release, compared to other artists and bands that extensively hype up their music weeks before a release after a long hiatus. 5SOS knows its fan base is extremely loyal, so not a lot of media attention was needed for this single.

5SOS ultimately went off the grid after the release of “Sounds Good Feels Good” and its 2016 tour, so it’s safe to say fans are pumped about this single. It’s apparent that the bandmates have gotten the “partying and drinking” that comes with touring out of the way, for the sake of the band’s success.

The band used the break to clean up its act and regain focus, and now it is back with a radically different single. The track keeps the same themes as the band’s old tracks, of heartbreak, love and regret.

Lines such as, “No matter where I go, I’m always gonna want you back,” and “I remember the roses on your shirt, when you told me this would never work,” remind me of lines in its early track “Amnesia,” such as, “It hurts to know you’re happy, yeah it hurts that you moved on,” and “It’s like we never happened, was it just a lie?” These songs have the same emotional drive that surround breakups and heartbreak.

This track has more rhythmic-pop elements than tracks that 5SOS has released in the past. It’s definitely similar in content and sound, but what makes it stand out from the band’s other songs is the synth-pop element of the track, and the lack of a punk-ish element.

It’s truly something special when you can literally hear how a band has changed through its music. 5SOS seemed to have left behind the pop/punk aspect that has defined its music in the past. This latest single is a completely classic pop song. This song also sets the stage for the band’s third album to be released later this year.

I think 5SOS is in a good place as musicians to explore a variety of content and more risky sounds within the album, in addition to the classic pop heartbreak songs that it’s so successful at creating. I’m excited for this album, and if it’s anything like this single it’s going to be an obvious success.

Phoebe Smith is a senior public relations major. Her column appears biweekly in Pulp. You can email her at phsmith@syr.edu and follow her on Twitter @phoebesmithh5.