'She Looks So Perfect'

Five Seconds of Summer began as a group of adorable Australian boys with guitars singing Justin Bieber and Chris Brown covers on YouTube. But once the fairy god-boy band, One Direction, waved its magic wand, our little Cinderellas gained world-wide recognition.

Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood and Ashton Irwin formed 5 Seconds of Summer in 2011. They have nurtured an extensive and loyal fan base through social media.

Five Seconds of Summer is influenced by some of the greatest names in the pop punk/pop rock genre, such as Good Charlotte, Blink-182 and All Time Low, which is prominent in 5 Seconds of Summer’s newly released EP, “She Looks So Perfect.”

Title track “She Looks So Perfect” is a summer anthem just begging to be belted out while sweating in your car. The perky guitar rifts go along with the lyrics of a young romance still in the stage of making mix tapes and discussions of running away
together.

“Heartache On the Big Screen” is the EP’s big hit. It’s about as catchy as the common cold.

Centered around the metaphor of a romance just like in a movie, the lyrics stick tight to the theme to the point of almost being overkill.

The music demands childish head banging and some air guitar. The harmony of the guitar and bass creates a groove that builds smoothly into the chorus that is filled out with extra guitar and vocals.

Third on the album, “The Only Reason,” tones it down a bit. The verses are slow and melancholy as the boys sing of working their way through a dying relationship.
The chorus picks up speed as they sing of their hope to make things work.

Last on the EP is a cover of “What I Like About You.” This was a disappointing discovery at the end of the rainbow. The boys tried to put their own spin on the 1980s hit by the Romantics.

Five Seconds of Summer is in the process of establishing itself as an original artist and not just a cover band. It made little sense to include a cover of a song that has been widely covered already, since I and other YouTube stalkers know the band has more original songs it could have used instead.

What works for this band are the contrasting voices. Hemmings, the lead singer, is a powerhouse vocalist with a deep tone.

There to ground him is Hood, who has a higher pitched, smoother voice ready to break or run under Hemming’s belts. Clifford and Irwin also contribute to vocals, lending depth to the choruses.

In a time when pop rock/pop punk bands are being shoved into dingy bars or agonizing tours like Warped Tour, 5 Seconds of Summer could be the hero the genres needed.

They’re still young, but as they grow they will shape a new generation of rockers and make these genres more than a dark phase in the battle of adolescence.