5 Seconds of Summer: Sounds Good Feels Good (2015) Songs Ranked

Rating: 8.5/10

After the success of their debut, self-titled album, 5 Seconds of Summer had lots of expectations placed on them for their second album, which they came out with a year after the release of that first record. It would’ve been very easy for them to stick to the formula they had gone with for the debut record, but instead they opted for a more aggressive sound and entirely different lyrical themes. And honestly, I thought this was a great album. You can tell that the band really wanted to move into more emotional territory than they were in on their debut album, and you can also tell that they wanted to create an album that their fans would really resonate and connect with. This is an album for people who feel like outcasts and misfits, and though that may lend itself to very emo/angsty songs, it makes for a very commendable musical statement.

In this post I’ll be ranking all the songs from 5 Seconds of Summer’s sophomore album, Sounds Good Feels Good, from worst to best, based on a mixture of lyrics, sound, and my overall connection with/enjoyment of the songs. Hope you enjoy!

Also quick disclaimer: I’m including all of the deluxe tracks in this ranking, and because the deluxe edition of the album reorders the track list, I’m just gonna go off of the deluxe track list order. Now without further ado, let’s get into the ranking!

17. Money (Track 1)

Yeah, not gonna lie, if I hadn’t already heard other songs from the album prior to actually sitting down to listen to it, this opening track would’ve given me very low expectations of what I would be hearing. I can see why some people would enjoy this song, but it’s kind of annoying to me.

16. Castaway (Track 9)

Honestly, this song isn’t that bad. The thing with this album is that while I think it’s tracks are overall pretty solid, there’s a lot that kind of just feel like filler, and this is one of those. The chorus has a very angry sound to it, and I do think that the vocal performance does a good job of conveying the feelings of abandonment described in the lyrics. However, it’s just not my type of song and it’s not very catchy to me.

15. Catch Fire (Track 6)

This kind of sounds like a bootleg 2012-One Direction song (and I say that as a Directioner). The verses don’t sound too bad, but the chorus is kind of annoying to me. This song is just kind of boring to me. The lyrics don’t feel meaningful and the production is pretty bland. It honestly sounds like a filler track from the debut album.

14. Fly Away (Track 13)

I think this song was meant to be really catchy, and it’s just not (for me at least). I like the concept of the lyrics, which is describing a perfect place that you want to escape to it, but it’s just not my sound and it’s not very engaging to me. Oh well.

13. Safety Pin (Track 7)

The best part of this song is the lyrics. It’s a really nice song about two hurt people helping each other to become better. I enjoy this song, but I don’t love it. It’s pretty decent, but it’s not great. I will say that Michael’s part in the bridge is awesome and Ashton absolutely kills his verse. And I also really like how the outro closes the track out with nothing but chanting vocals and a drum beat. It’s pretty cool.

12. Permanent Vacation (Track 4)

Alright, I’m just gonna say it: the verses of this song remind me of the Sonny With a Chance theme song. Anyway, moving on… this is a really fun song. Michael does a great job with the vocals, the rhyming in the pre-chorus is slightly annoying but also kind of charming, and the chorus is very catchy and gets you moving around.

11. Invisible (Track 14)

“Another day of painted walls and football on the TV, no one sees me. I fade away, lost inside a memory of someone’s life, it wasn’t mine. I was already missing before the night I left, just me and my shadow and all of my regrets.” Okay, this is an example of what I’m referring to when I say that there are some seriously emo songs on Sounds Good Feels Good. That’s not an inherently bad thing, though. This is a beautiful song about feeling like you don’t belong anywhere, no one sees you, and you’re just floating through life. It’s a heavy topic, but the song handles the subject matter in a caring and genuine way. The strings at the end are gorgeous, and Calum does a great job on lead vocals. I have to confess, though: I heard the whole “Who am I? Who am I?” part of the chorus in a meme once, and because of that I can’t really take it seriously. Apologies.

10. Vapor (Track 9)

This song is very moody and has a lot of attitude, but it doesn’t feel too overwrought. It almost has a mystical quality to it. I don’t really know how to describe it. Michael is awesome in the chorus, and his vocals add a nice desperation and emotion to the lyrics. The drumming as well as the strings in this song are great. Overall, this is just a really strong track, and thematically, it fits into the album perfectly.

9. Hey Everybody! (Track 9)

I’ve seen a lot of people say that this is one of the band’s worst songs, and to everyone who says that, I’d personally just like to say that you can all fight me. This is a bop for the ages, and that’s final. And yes, I know that the verse has the exact same melody as Hungry Like the Wolf by Duran Duran, but Duran Duran got a huge writing credit, so there you go. The chorus of this song is so fun, AND THE BASSLINE IS AWESOME. I think this song is kind of like the Don’t Stop of this album; it gets repeatedly slandered because it’s less advanced lyrically, but it’s an almighty bop that deserves love and appreciation. Also, the music video is pure, amazing chaos.

8. Broken Home (Track 12)

Sounds Good Feels Good? More like Sounds Good Feels Like Someone Ripped My Heart Out and Stomped On It. This song is so devastating to listen to, and it’s not even relatable to how I grew up. It’s just that raw and emotional. This is one of the songs that really demonstrates what I meant when I said that the band wanted to make songs that their fans would connect with. I can only imagine how many fans must have listened to this song to help get through a broken home life. The vocals in this song are so full of emotion, the lyrics are cutting and deep, and the only reason I don’t have this song up higher is because it actually makes me really sad whenever I listen to it. “I’m here alone inside of this broken home. Who’s right, who’s wrong, who really cares? The fault, the blame, the pain’s still there. I’m here alone inside of this broken home.”

7. Outer Space/Carry On (Track 17)

What a great closer for the album. Outer Space/Carry On ends Sounds Good Feels Good on a grand, inspiring bang. While Outer Space is a great, triumphant song, I think Carry On really steals the show between the two songs. After Outer Space ends, we get faded into the relaxing sound of the ocean (which is mentioned throughout Outer Space), and then after a few moments of that, the glorious Carry On begins. This song is ANGELIC. The harmonies, the message, it’s all so great. After an entire album that talks about feeling isolated and alone, Carry On ends the album with the lyric, “you know it’s gonna get better” and I love it so much.

6. The Girl Who Cried Wolf (Track 11)

I don’t know what I was expecting from this song, but it definitely wasn’t this. This is a very heartfelt song with a powerfully emotional vocal performance. I don’t know exactly what it is about this song that really resonates with me. I mean, the vocals are great, the melody is great, and all the instrumentation is great, but there’s just this special quality to this song that I can’t really place. I don’t know. I just really like this song (if you can’t tell).

5. She’s Kinda Hot (Track 2)

“They say we’re losers and we’re alright with that. We are the leaders of the not coming backs, but we’re alright though. Yeah, we’re alright though. We are the kings and the queens of the new broken scene, yeah, we’re alright though.” What an iconic song this is. From Calum’s insanely catchy bassline, to the way that Luke basically screams at you as he opens the song, this song is just amazing. There’s so much that I love about it. I love all the weird little sound effects that they have sprinkled throughout the song. I love Ashton’s verse (which blessed 5SOS fans with the incredible “alRIghT lOs aNgeLeS” meme). I love the overloaded effect on the vocals. I love the message of the song, as well as how misleading it is. You look at the song title “She’s Kinda Hot” and you think it’s gonna be some boring song about how hot a girl is, and then as you go further into the song, you realize that this is a song about doing things your own way and knowing that even if people look down on you for it, you’re gonna turn out fine in the end. This song is an anthem, and I love it so much.

4. San Francisco (Track 16)

“I wanna get back to where we started, to the summer night. You know, you know, you know, you know we got it right. Yeah, I wanna get back to San Francisco, in the fire light
You know, you know, you know, you know we had it right.“ This song is delightful. I don’t know what the right word is, but it just feels… nostalgic? Yeah, I don’t really know how to describe it, but this song just gives me such a good feeling. The chorus just has this really comforting sense of passion and wistfulness, and it’s fantastic. I also adore the use of acoustic guitar and the backing vocals. Lyrically, this song is so vivid and descriptive. It does an amazing job of painting a picture in your head of the memories that are associated with San Francisco, and it’s just wonderful. I like the interlude on this song a lot more than the interlude on the song I’m gonna talk about next. It’s pleasant, I don’t hate it, but I’m not crazy about it. That’s the only bad thing I have to say about this track. “Remember that weekend when we got out of town? Drove into infinity, I held you till you fell asleep. Without you, the smell of your perfume reminds me of when we were free, I swear that it’s still haunting me.”

3. Waste the Night (Track 8)

“Taste in your tongue, the smoke in your lungs, and I need your love, and I need your love. The salt on your skin is pulling me in, and I need your love, and I need your love.” There’s something magical about this song. True to its lyrics, it just gives off the vibe of staying up late and making the most of a night. The whole song sounds good (except the interlude, but we’ll get to that later), but I think the verses/pre-choruses really shine. The way that the vocals are mixed, as well as the tone Luke sings in, just makes for an amazing sound that I really dig (I’d even say that the verses kind of sound like something by The 1975). Also, the opening guitar sounds lovely, and Ashton’s drumming is impeccable as always. This is a really unique sound for the band, but I absolutely love it. I wish they’d make more songs that sound like this. But the interlude ain’t it. Look, I love a good interlude, but the one that’s used in this song is just weird to me (I mean, the drumming is good but that’s the only thing I like about it). Sorry. But because it’s not the entire song, I’m easily able to overlook it and pretend that the song ends after three minutes.

2. Jet Black Heart (Track 5)

“The blood in my veins is made up of mistakes. Let’s forget who we are and dive into the dark, as we burst into color, returning to life.” Michael has a spotlight on him a lot throughout this album (and rightfully so, because his voice is amazing) but this really is his song. The lyrics here are already very meaningful, but the sheer emotion that Michael manages to capture through his timbre and nuances is brilliant. He absolutely owned this song and turned it into something amazing that it just wouldn’t have been otherwise. Calum also kills the bridge. The heavy guitar, the intense drumming, and the blazing group harmonies make for an incredible and extremely memorable chorus. This song is angsty, powerful balladry at it’s finest. “‘Cause I’ve got a jet black heart, and there’s a hurricane underneath it trying to keep us apart. I write with a poison pen, but these chemicals moving between us are the reason to start again.“

1. Airplanes (Track 15)

THIS SONG. IT SHOOK ME. Honestly, we were in the last stretch of the album, I had already been listening for almost an hour, and I was starting to get a little tired, AND THEN THIS SONG CAME ON AND I WAS SHOOK. THAT CHORUS. THE GUITAR. THE MELODY. THE VOCALS. IT’S ALL PERFECTION. Okay, I’m gonna calm down. In all seriousness, this is such an awesome song. The lyrics have this great imagery to them, and I just find the message of this song to be very inspirational. It’s about wanting to prove yourself and giving everything you’ve got in order to do so after doubting yourself for a long time. At the end of the album, it’s a nice conclusion to the other, less self-assured songs on Sounds Good Feels Good. I really love Airplanes. I love the concept, I LOVE the chorus, and I think they did an incredible job with the song. It inspires me and I bop to it. What more could you ask for? “Airplanes cut through the clouds like angels can fly, we’ll never die. Sirens cut through the night like screams set on fire, rising up higher. I’ve got something to prove, nothing to lose in this city, in this city.”