ATP! Album Review: 5 Seconds Of Summer - She Looks So Perfect EP

Before we proceed, let’s get one thing clear: this band is not a boy band. They are boys, in a band, but most certainly not a boy band. They play their own instruments, they don’t dance and their influences are more commonly found within the pages of Alternative Press and Kerrang! as opposed to Tiger Beat and Bop. So any boy band stigma that may be tied to their name due to who they have opened for and will be opening for, needs to be left right at the door. This is not the next step in the boy band resurrection; this is 5 Seconds Of Summer, the She Looks So Perfect EP is their introduction, and it’s a pretty damn good one.

The EP kicks off with the title track, ready and willing to be the tune of the summer with its guitar driven melody and a chorus so catchy, you’ll be singing along after just one listen. "She Looks So Perfect" is arguably the star of the show, but follow-up track "Heartache On The Big Screen" certainly has its attractions. With a little less pop sweetness than the previous track, "Heartache On The Big Screen" feels a lot more like we can expect from the four Aussies as opposed to the radio ready "She Looks So Perfect." It’s edgier with a little less polish, but all the same catchiness as its predecessor and a hint of pop/rock a lá the ‘00s. Things slow down with "The Only Reason," a good track when standing alone, but one that is lost after the catchiness of the upbeat tracks that it follows.

Honestly, the only downfall to the band’s first US release is the cover of The Romantics' What I Like About You," which, to be frank, only fills up space where they very well could have placed another original song or a previous cover that showcased their talent far better. (Say, their take on Blink-182’s "I Miss You.")

While this isn’t a perfect release, that really isn’t the point of this EP. The point is hidden in the underlying potential. These boys have so much coming into their own to do, that with this being their starting point, they are bound to be something great. If this is what they’ve given us in four songs, we can only imagine what it will sound like when it’s 10-12 in a full release, or even a couple years from now. No, this isn’t the next act of the boy band era, but rather the start of a new wave of pop/rock - a wave that was desperately needed in a genre that has been feeling a little stale.

3.5/5

Victoria Patneaude

She Looks So Perfect EP is out April 1st via Capitol Records.