Australian band, 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) consists of lead guitarist Luke Hemmings, guitarist Michael Clifford, bassist Calum Hood and drummer Ashton Irwin. The band has been around since 2011 and to celebrate this achievement, they recently released a brand new single on Dec. 2 called, “2011.”
These four friends from Australia met when they were teenagers, and decided to form a band. It all started with Hemmings posting videos on YouTube in 2011 – the rest is history.
The band formed in 2011, and originally they started out as a trio. Clifford, Hemmings and Hood were the original members. Clifford explains in a YouTube video called “5 Seconds of Summer talk 10 years – 2011” that they later seeked out Irwin due to his capabilities on drums.
Ever since then, they have been creating music nonstop and some of the members even have their own solo endeavors.
This new single takes fans back to when the band was first formed and how simple it was being teenagers just making music together hoping one day they would make it big — little did they know, they would.
In a podcast-like video, the 5SOS guys sat down to have a conversation on how the band came to be, sharing every little detail they could remember like whose idea it was to start the band, each of their roles and even their first gigs together. This 27-minute video is one of 10 videos talking about their journey throughout the years and this one just happened to be about when it all started in 2011.
“2011” definitely has a nostalgic feel to it, and even has similar sounds from songs they’ve done in the past. More specifically it emulated the vibes of their 2015 album ‘Sounds Good Feels Good.’
The beginning of the song emulates one of their other songs called Airplanes but this time instead of a sci-fi prominent sound for the first couple of seconds, it’s more of a sound of celebration.
It starts off low, but by each second the song gets louder and starts with Hood singing the opening line, which can give the listener the assumption, the path of the journey they took has not been easy in any way.
“I miss the days when we were young and not too wise. Only doing what felt right, with open hearts and open eyes. I missed the days before I second-guessed my life.”
These lyrics showcase one thing — that there’s more hope when you are young and less to worry about. Which is all relatable. It’s the feeling that you have so much to look forward to with an ‘open heart and open eyes.’ You’re not actively looking for things which could ruin your chance of becoming what you want to be, and you’re just willing to accept everything.
In the YouTube video, Clifford explained they were willing to accept any gig they got offered at that time.
All this reminiscing of how the band came to be, obviously shows that when 5SOS were writing this track all the memories were flooding through their minds. The ups and downs of life and all their adventures over the last 10 years.
The song is simple and repeats the same message of missing the days when life was simpler and when they had big dreams.
Musically, the song is so well constructed. It starts off as a celebration, and it has almost this cosmic feel in the background. It sounds light and in the pre-chorus it builds up to Irwin playing drums. The cosmic feel is still there, it’s just faded into the background.
Just like the sounds in the song fading into the background, it’s possible that to them the past is just fading.
5SOS throughout the years had endless tours, multiple albums and were just always busy; it’s hard to think about where you once started when your mind is preoccupied with stuff to do in the present. This song is an ode to where they came from, where they started and wishing everything wasn’t as complicated.
“I miss the days when we could live outside our heads / Before we were all nervous wrecks / But that’s the thing about regret / We used to talk about our lives / And all the things we didn’t have / We fantasized about the future / But now we dream about the past.”
You can stream “2011” here.
