5SOS Drops Edgy New Single “Easier”
After the success of their third studio album Youngblood , 5 Seconds of Summer has returned with a new single that is sure to make everyone’s summer playlist. Easier gives listeners some insight into the band’s thought process regarding a failing relationship, while expanding on the edgier sound that they had established in their previous works and showing how their individual artistries combine to form the band’s overall aura.
The band began teasing Easier on May 20th, and dropped the single three days later, along with the music video that premiered on YouTube. Lead singer Luke Hemmings claims that the boys felt the most confident with Easier out of all of their other first singles. Many fans responded positively to the single, with the boys marking it as “the beginning of the best era” for the band with new sounds and new approaches to universal concepts to which they can relate.
“Is it easier to stay, is it easier to go?” perfectly summarize the inner conflict of anyone feeling stuck in a complicated relationship. Throughout the song, the band sings about how neither person in the relationship is willing to accept responsibility for their faults, therefore resulting in a complicated cycle that takes a toll on the love shared between them. They question their actions in saying, “why do we always gotta run away? And we wind up in the same place. It’s like we’re looking for the same thing.” As shown in the song, both sides of the relationship share a common goal of making things work, however their stubbornness holds both of them back. With this being an all too familiar feeling for many people, 5 Seconds of Summer help their listeners recognize their own personal flaws to show them that people must be willing to compromise to make a relationship work. In discussing their own inner conflicts through their music, the members open up to their fans and allow themselves to be vulnerable, therefore putting more sincerity behind the lyrics and providing a convincing argument to get their message across.
Aside from the relatable message the song conveys, Easier serves as proof of the band’s hard work in extending their musical limits and experimenting with new rhythms and sounds. Bassist Calum Hood stated that the single was something that they “subconsciously needed to release” and even goes as far to claim that it is the best thing they have released so far when coupled with the rawness of the music video.
The music video for the song perfectly matches the dark tone of the single with different scenes shot at two historic places in Southern California - the Bronson Caves in Griffith Park, and Angeles Abbey Memorial Park in Compton. The video shows footage of the band submerged in water, and lead singer Luke Hemmings singing into a microphone with his hands tied above him. This serves as a possible symbol of feeling trapped or tied up in the relationship that is too hard to leave despite its complications.
If you have not had a change to listen to the song, it is available on iTunes, Spotify and Apple Music. The music video is also available to watch on Youtube and is currently trending at #47.
Easier is just a taste of what 5 Seconds of Summer has in store for their fans in the months to come, and it is sure to be a big hit for the upcoming summer season.
