5 Seconds Of Summer Paving The Way For A New Punk Generation

Australian pop punk band 5 Seconds of Summer have just announced the release of their sophomore album. If you are music fan, it won’t have escaped your notice that the new 5 Seconds of Summer album will be titled Sounds Good, Feels Good and it will be released in October. It is becoming increasingly clear that 5 Seconds of Summer are desperate to shake off the boy-band label they have been tagged with, largely as a result of their having supported One Direction on tour a couple of years back.

According to Rolling Stone Mitra Darab, Capitol’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, accepts that 5 Seconds of Summer have the boy-band aesthetic but that is where the similarity ends. 5 Seconds of Summer, unusually in this day and age, were signed before any of them turned 18-years-old, and to date, their sound has arguably been more pop than punk. That said, the members of 5 Seconds of Summer play their instruments and write their own material. That in itself sets them apart from manufactured boy-bands like One Direction. 5 Seconds of Summer are much better than that.

Darab, who spent 15-years working with the likes of My Chemical Romance, says that she thinks 5 Seconds of Summer can be as successful as One Direction, but in a different way.

“The only difference is that [5 Seconds of Summer] have paved a new lane for this generation for punk bands. I think that with this new record and the direction — it’s really guitar-driven — you’re going to see a lot of other people emulate that.”

It is a measure of 5 Seconds of Summer’s credibility that members of Good Charlotte, Sum-41, and All Time Low have helped to pen songs for Sounds Good Feels Good and even Motley Crue hell-raiser Nikki Sixx has indicated that he is happy to work with the band. A cynic might say that this means 5 Seconds of Summer don’t write their own material, a more charitable observer would say that their collaborations indicate a growing maturity and willingness to learn from those who have already scored major success.

Unreality TV reports that 5 Seconds of Summer had a streak of punk rebelliousness whilst at school, often skipping classes to work on their music.

5 Seconds of Summer are currently earning rave reviews on their arena headlining world tour. Their latest single “She’s Kinda Hot” is riding high in the charts and there is every indication that 5 Seconds of Summer are going from strength to strength.

Do you think that 5 Seconds of Summer are blazing a trail for a new generation of punk bands? Leave a comment and let us know what you think.

[Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images]