The self-titled debut album from 5 Seconds of Summer delivers head-numbing pop anthems that fall just short of creating a sugar buzz. Starting out as Youtube sensations, they covered international hits such as Teenage Dirtbag and Year 3000, each cover garnering well over a million views.
With such young members, tracks like She Looks So Perfect and Kiss Me Kiss Me sound awkward as they sing about tattoos, and "teenage memories"; more realistic is 18, in which they lament being so young their "mum still drives [them] to school". That said, their candy-coated vocals and infectious hooks are addictive and catchy.
Amnesia is an angst-filled ballad full of fluffy lyrics and clichés about failed relationships.
In Heartbreak Girl and English Love Affair, the band turn towards punkier, more ska-inspired notes, in the style of Blink-182.
The guys could chart a course to boy band legend with this release, but if they are, as they claim, a rock band, they'd better work on putting more substance into the tracks on their next album.