Hear that quiet summer breeze? Enjoy it while you can. A typhoon of big hooks, good looks and screaming tweenage girls is about to hit these shores, direct from the Land Down Under. 5 Seconds of Summer, not to be confused with the movie 500 Days of Summer, is a quartet of lads, age 17 to 19, from working class West Sydney. Their beginnings are humble and their aspirations are simple: follow countrymen AC/DC and INXS to total world domination. Perhaps that’s why those in the know call em 5SOS.
If you’re an avid reader of POPDOSE, you might wonder why we would be spotlighting a “boy band”. Yes, they are boys — Ashton (vocals/drums), Luke and Michael (vocals/guitar) and Calum (vocals, bass) — but they are actually a band band, one that can play instruments and write music. Their timing couldn’t be better. One Direction fans are coming of age and discovering the bone shaking majesty of guitars.
If you think 5SOS is just another manufactured pop act hand-crafted to cash in at the record store, well…
A.) Throw away your Clash, Bow Wow Wow and Sex Pistols albums you freaking hypocrite.
B.) 5SOS formed organically and blew up worldwide three and 1/2 minutes later because this is the world we now live in.
It’s not hipster bait for sure, it’s pop music and pop music is supposed to be fun — if you like The Living End, All American Rejects, Green Day, Good Charlotte and the like (and perhaps even, The Like), then 5SOS just might be your ticket to a good time this summer. But if you’re just here to troll and spout hipster separatism, head over to Pitchfork and rub one out to their Tonstartssbandht review.
Now, if this is your first visit to POPDOSE, not to be confused with my work at POPCRUSH, here’s a little primer if you decide to stay and look around. Kansas, Boston, Asia, Europe and Matthew Sweet are not only places (Sweet being mayor of Awesome Town), they are bands, ones that we rarely stop talking about. Plus eventually you will need to buy a jazz record, so here you go.
Back to 5SOS. Their debut album has already debuted at #1 on iTunes charts in 71 countries, it arrives Stateside on July 22. To promote it, they’re dipping their toes into the US of A by doing what all bands do soon after learning how to play instruments in their parents’ living rooms; they’re playing a few dozen STADIUM gigs (opening for One Direction) before their MTV VMA’s appearance and inevitable headline tour, band member dalliance with Taylor Swift, twitter controversy and Old Navy ad campaign.
ENTER TODAY to win a copy of 5SOS on CD for your very own. Why?
- If you’re already a fan, you will likely buy it the moment it goes on sale on iTunes. But what what fun is staring at the 1×1-inch album cover on your phone when you can flip through the dreamy photos in the infinitely bigger CD booklet?
- If you’re not a fan and you win the CD, use it to win over the heart of your daughter, son or that kid who just fixed your computer.
- If you are a fan and too cool to admit it, winning the CD here is much less traumatic than that “look” the checkout person at Target will surely give you. Play it loud and proud my friend.
To win your copy of 5 Seconds of Summer, send an e-mail with “5SOS” in the subject line to me here: keithatpopdose@yahoo.com
USA entries only. Winners will be drawn FRIDAY, JULY 25th at 11:59 PM (PST). Only the winner will be contacted by POPDOSE. All other e-mail entries will be deleted. Don’t worry, we won’t add you to our mailing list, it takes way too much time and energy to do a newsletter. If you want to stay in touch, connect with us on Facebook.
Can’t wait to hear 5SOS? Pick it up at 12:01 AM July 22nd on iTunes or Amazon MP3.
UPDATE: Contest is now closed — Congrats to all the winners!
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