5 Seconds of Summer // 10 Year Anniversary of their self-titled debut album + rare 2014 Record Store Day picture disc vinyl!

- June 30, 2024

Simmer down, simmer down! It's hard to believe that it has already been ten years since 5 Seconds of Summer released their self-titled debut album! They have been one of my favorite bands for so many years and I have the most amazing memories attached to this music. I have loved hearing all of the ways their sound evolved and matured with each new release to follow.

5 Seconds of Summer made history as the first debut album by an Australian band to reach number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 - what a cool accomplishment for four teenagers to achieve! Their debut album also spawned a few of the biggest hits of their career. The lead single, "She Looks So Perfect" is still among their most recognizable hits, which is also how I first discovered them too. They released a few EPs and singles prior to that song, but "She Looks So Perfect" was their first massive international hit. I was immediately hooked! It is still such a great song and will never get old for me. "Amnesia" was another big single from this album, a stripped-down acoustic ballad that was quite different than a lot of the other songs they were making at the time. Both of remain a staple in pretty much every show they have ever done to this day, which is a testament to how timeless and beloved they are.

The rest of the album is so great too, many of the songs have since seemed to have become deeper cuts in 5SOS' catalog as the years went on. "Voodoo Doll" is among my all-time favorites from this album - it was also the special throwback surprise song that they played when I was saw them live last year, which was so exciting and brought back so many memories. "End Up Here" is another highlight for me, it's forever a classic and so underrated. "Kiss Me, Kiss Me" is another long-time favorite, I have always especially loved the live arrangement of that song in particular and wish they would perform it more often!

In 2014 when this album was released, I was just finishing up my freshman year of high school and this was absolutely the soundtrack of my summer that year (and many years to follow). I still remember how excited I was to go to Target to get the CD the day it came out too, they were my favorite band then and I am still just as big of a fan of them now too. Every song on this album subsequently played a major role in my high school years to follow. I would play this album on repeat every day, some of them before they were even officially released. I specifically remember always listening to a low-quality live version of "Good Girls" before the album was out and being so happy to finally be able to listen the studio version. It's so funny to think of that now! As much as this is a nostalgic album for me, it also still really holds up and is such a great record to still listen to. It is just so fun and a true time capsule for that time in pop culture.

I'm only 24 now, but it really does make me feel old to think that this album is already 10 years old! I have written a lot of anniversary reviews over the past couple of years and it always reminds me of how fast time is going. When thinking back on the music I was listening to a lot at that time in my life, I often find that it impacted me a lot more than I could have ever even realized at the time. There was so much great music that was coming out from that time, I ended up discovering a lot of great new artists that were all just getting started, many of which I still love and listen to even now. That mid-2010's Tumblr era of music definitely still has a hold on me! Here's to teenage memories!

I have been lucky enough to have seen 5SOS live 5 times and counting, which is more than I have ever seen any other artist/band live. The first was in support of their debut album during their 2015 Rock Out With Your Socks Out Tour in Hershey, PA. That was also their first headlining stadium show, which was very cool to be able to be there for! I still look back on my family and I going to that show together with the best memories. From the start 5SOS has always been such an incredible live band. The energy is always so electric, and they have only further elevated as performers in the years to follow. If you have never been to one of their shows, I can't recommend it enough! They are truly put on the best shows, there is no one else quite like them.

After the release of their self-titled debut album, 5 Seconds of Summer have released four other albums that are all really fantastic too. They somehow just keep getting better! In the past few years, they have also branched out into making solo music alongside still being in the band, which has been cool to hear a new side of them through those ventures! I am absolutely looking forward to seeing what the next decade will bring for Luke, Ashton, Michael and Calum!

This album is also very sentimental to me because it was the very first vinyl in my record collection! If you have read some of my other posts before, you'll probably know that I have a lot of records and love sharing my collection here. This is the album where my love for collecting really began! My dad has always loved and collected vinyl and took me to Record Store Day in 2014 to get this very special copy, which I will forever treasure! I didn't even have my own record player at the time, but it really did spark a love of vinyl that has only grown in the past decade!

This vinyl was released in November 2014 for Record Store Day on Black Friday, it was extremely limited and only sold at independent record stores. I remember my local record store only had one in stock, so I was very lucky to be able to get it! This was a few years before the big vinyl boom that came shortly after, so the demand for it then was definitely a lot lower than it is now. In the years to follow, it has become probably the rarest and most valuable record in my collection. It often sells for several hundred dollars, if not more, which is wild to think about. It was never repressed, and no other variants were ever sold for this album as of 2024.

It is pressed on a picture disc, side A with the original album cover and side B with their logo at the time on it, as well as some other cute doodles. It also features the bonus track "Wrapped Around Your Finger" on side B, which was always one of my favorite songs by them. It was never featured on any other physical copies of the album or on streaming, at least not in the US. They played it live at the very first show I ever saw them at in 2015, but after that time they rarely performed it. I still hope one day they release it officially on streaming, it is such a great song!

This is a very elusive and sought-after vinyl to own for sure, I'm very happy to be able to have this be such a special part of my record collection! The complete 5 Seconds of Summer vinyl discography is one of my favorite parts of my collection!

Thanks for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below! I had a lot of fun editing the pictures featured throughout this post, which were inspired by Ashton Irwin's doodles on the original album artwork, as well as some of the corresponding single covers. 💘

If you are interested in reading more of my reviews of 5 Seconds of Summer's music, I would love for you to check out my review of their 2022 album 5SOS5, as well as my experience seeing them at Madison Square Garden in 2024, and the Meet You There Tour in 2018. Many more are linked here and below - with more to come always!