5 Seconds of Summer Members Tell How a Jamming Retreat in Joshua Tree Led to the Self-Produced ‘5SOS5’
Mike Wass The group 5 Seconds of Summer gets back to basics on “5SOS5,” writing and producing the bulk of the band’s fifth album in-band. What began as pandemic-related precaution soon turned into an opportunity to recalibrate their sound in an authentic way. After all, they launched as a teenage pop-punk outfit in 2014 and then proceeded to reinvent themselves on each subsequent project, detouring into the worlds of Top 40, electronica and R&B. The Australian rockers started recording the album — which arrives this weekend — in late 2020 in Joshua Tree, CA. “We went up there with no expectations,” says guitarist Michael Clifford, who also doubled as producer. “We were still in the thick of the pandemic and none of us were really ready to write.” While tempted to cancel the trip, the band decided to simply go and hang out. Before too long, they were jamming and songs started taking shape in the hot Californian desert.