Just when 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) fans thought the band was preparing to release their sixth studio album, guitarist Michael Clifford subverted their expectations by releasing his first solo single “cool” on April 2.
Clifford follows in the footsteps of fellow band members Luke Hemmings and Ashton Irwin in releasing solo projects outside of the band’s music, and I think it is really awesome to see them explore different avenues of their personal sounds.
“cool” is absolutely what I expected from Clifford in his solo music. The song is the quintessential pop-punk sound that pairs well with Clifford’s vocals and personal style.
In the lyrics, written alongside the band’s bassist Calum Hood, Clifford speaks to his insecurities with his style, asking “am I cool enough?”
Clifford touches on feeling “out of place” and insecure when it comes to his style and personality, even referencing his place in the band and inside jokes for the most dedicated of fans — like me — to catch.
“Confidence doesn’t come so easily / when you’re the guy who caught fire with the colored hair / from the band with the song about underwear,” referring to 5SOS’s most popular song “She Looks So Perfect” and a particularly tragic on stage moment between Clifford and pyrotechnics.
While this song fits Clifford perfectly, it is not my favorite kind of music. I much prefer Clifford’s vocals when featured on 5SOS songs like “Jet Black Heart” from one of their earlier albums “Sounds Good Feels Good,” and “Bleach” and “Moodswings” off of their most recent album “5SOS5,” which Clifford helped produce.
5SOS is my favorite band in the world — and as many of my friends can attest, I make this very clear — and while Clifford is so near and dear to my heart and I am so glad to see him explore his personal music niche with a solo project, I think I will stick to listening to him on 5SOS songs.
2/5 stars
mkane10@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @Michael5SOS, X
