Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer (affectionately called 5SOS by the band and fans) has released their second single “Complete Mess” leading up to the announcement of their fifth studio album. Previously, the band released “2011,” a song reminiscing about a time when their band was up-and-coming, and they were just young teenagers living on a dream.

Where their December 2021 single “2011” sounded similar to their original pop-punk roots, “Complete Mess” sounded much more modern and pop-influenced. All four members of the band featured vocals on the track. The track’s name reminded fans and guitarist Michael Clifford of frontman Luke Hemmings’s famous shirt he wore in his teens that read, “You Complete Me,” with “ss” tacked onto the end of the phrase to create “You Complete Mess.”

 “Complete Mess” is a song about the feeling of push-and-pull in a relationship; it’s main lyric is “You make me complete / You make me a complete mess.” “It’s just that simple but universal feeling of, without someone, you feel like a complete mess, and with them, they make you complete,” Hemmings explained during an interview with ExtraTV. “Can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em,” Clifford remarked with a laugh. The music video, shot in a desert, also showcases the feeling of conflict and the feeling of closeness.

As an avid fan of 5SOS for over seven years, I thought the song was a really great addition to their discography. It really cements their sound in the modern pop-rock scene, which has been gradually becoming more apparent in the past couple of years. Since the band started as a teenage pop-punk band, many fans have come and gone since the release of their third studio album, “Youngblood,” which had a strong pop sound. 

The lyricism is great throughout the song, and it also gets extra points because the song was written by the band only! This is the first song since their debut as a YouTube band that has not been written in part by another lyricist. It was also solely produced by Clifford, this being his first official production credit. By all means, he did a great job of producing the track, and quite honestly, I hope to see many more tracks on their upcoming album that are produced by him. 

Speaking of 5SOS’s fifth album, it is in the works! They don’t have a name for it yet, but they told interviewers that this album is going to be a long one. “What you should know is that we’re trying to make [the album] much longer than it’s allowed to be,” drummer Ashton Irwin joked during the interview with ExtraTV. “Here’s everything we got; stop bothering us!” Hemmings laughed as he told the fans.

They do, however, have set dates for their “Take My Hand” world tour this upcoming summer. They will be playing all across America, Europe, Australia and many more locations in a series of venues. (Myself and my Co-Managing editor at the Navigator News have already snagged a couple tickets for their Maryland Heights, Missouri show!) This tour was originally named the “No Shame” tour for a track on their fourth album, but when the tour was canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions, it lost this title and gained its new name. Tickets for the “Take My Hand” world tour are selling out quickly, so if you are interested in going to a show, be sure to visit 5SOS.com/tour!