On the 23rd October 2015, 5 Seconds of Summer released their second album, Sounds Good Feels Good. The follow up to their self-titled debut album showcases a more mature, varied sound with different styles present. I will be reviewing the deluxe version of the album as that is what I purchased.
Standard Edition
Money
She's Kinda Hot
Hey Everybody!
Permanent Vacation
Jet Black Heart
Catch Fire
Waste the Night
Vapor
Castaway
Fly Away
Invisible
Airplanes
San Francisco
Outer Space/Carry On
Deluxe Edition
Safety Pin (between Catch Fire and Waste the Night)
The Girl Who Cried Wolf (after Castaway)
Broken Home (before Fly Away)
The album opens with Money, a high energy rock track which, in all honesty, I'm not sure about. I like everything about the song apart from the lyrics which I'm not a huge fan of. She's Kinda Hot is the next track and is the first single to be released from this album. On a first listen, it is a far cry from their first album but it soon gets stuck in your head. Lyrics such as 'they say we're losers and we're alright with that' and 'we're the kings and the queens of the new broken scene' unite 5SOS with their fans in a movement they've labelled the New Broken Scene. It's an anthem screaming that even if you're an outcast and don't fit in, everything will be alright in the end which is a statement I can't help but love for I am a loser and I'm alright with that.
Track 3 is the second single from the album, Hey Everybody! which tells the listener that anyone can make it if they try and they don't have to be trapped in a small town if they want to break out and take the world by storm. Permanent Vacation is track 4 and is one of my favourite songs from the album. They sung it on their Rock Out With Your Socks Out tour which I attended and they had the whole arena singing and dancing along even though at that point, there was no studio version available. The middle 8 has to be my favourite part with the lyrics 'congratulations, your imitations, are taking over the radio stations. Corporations, calculations, we're the voices of the new generation', showing their commitment to bringing a new wave of rock to the radio and breaking the pop mould.
Jet Black Heart is the next song on the album and is another one on my favourites list. It is very much in the style of their first album with heavy guitars and I love the way that on the first and last chorus, 'I've got a jet black heart' is acapella before bursting into a high energy chorus. It's such a powerful declaration which I read as showing that they're damaged but are still passionate about their dreams. Next is Catch Fire. Now the first time I listened to this song I fell in love with it. I love the way the drums are played, the guitar rif in the chorus, the lyrics, the list could go on. Lyrics that stand out to me are 'all my life I've been waiting for moments to come, when I catch fire and wash over you like the sun'. I feel like everyone can relate to that in some way, waiting for the moment to prove someone wrong or make someone proud depending on the way you feel when you listen to it.
Safety Pin is the next track on the album (if you have the deluxe version) which shows 5SOS saying that 'we'll safety pin the pieces of our broken hearts back together'. If you follow 5SOS you'll know that the broken heart safety pinned back together is the logo of their New Broken Scene movement. Waste The Night is another song I'm not too sure about. I feel that the chorus becomes a little repetitive. The song ends with some silence before an instrumental outro, as many of the songs on this album do.
Next is Vapor, which I quite like. It is very romance based which reminds me of their first album. Castaway is the next song on the album which I also quite like although it's not one of my favourites. Next are two songs only available on the deluxe version of the album, The Girl Who Cried Wolf and Broken Home. The former is much slower than the other songs on the album, with the lyrics taking centre stage rather than the guitars. Broken Home tells the story of having parents who have 'lost their happiness'. Personally, I think it stands out on the album as the lyrics are very different to the rest of the songs which revolve around rebellion or relationships. 'Hey mom, hey dad when did this end? When did you lose your happiness? I'm here alone inside of this broken home' shout out at the parents who have lost their happiness and have affected their children possibly without realising. Although 3/4 of the band come from a comfortable home, Ashton doesn't know his father, showing how he identifies with the theme of the song.
Fly Away is the next song on the album, another song on the album that I like but isn't a stand out. Invisible is next and is another slower song which I'm not sure about. For me, it feels a little monotone and although the lyrics are strong, the song itself seems to be lacking something. Next is Airplanes which is a catchy, powerful rock song. Standout lyrics for me are 'I've got something to prove, nothing to lose in this city' which I'm sure is a line many people can identify with.
San Fransisco is next on the album and is a standout track for me. It's more acoustic than their heavier, rock tracks but I think that's what makes it different. The arrangement really does take me back 'to the summer night' and paints a picture of dancing by a fire on the beach. Well that's the image in my mind anyway. In my opinion, this is going to be amazing when performed live.
Finally, we have Outer Space/Carry On, two songs put together with a slight gap in the middle. Outer Space contains lyrics like 'lost here in London with nothing, I'm still running back to you', continuing their love for the UK that was shown in 'English Love Affair' in their first album. Outer Space is a powerful ballad which slows down into Carry On which contains amazing layers of harmonies.
Buy Sounds Good Feels Good from 5 Seconds of Summer's store - https://store.universalmusic.com/5sos/*/Music/
Buy Sounds Good Feels Good from Amazon - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sounds-Good-Feels-Seconds-Summer/dp/B013VTMY32/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1447012495&sr=1-1&keywords=5+seconds+of+summer
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