100 songs of the decade: Youngblood – 5 Seconds of Summer

Written by: Calum Hood, Ali Tamposi, Andrew Watt, Ashton Irwin, Luke Hemmings and Louis Bell
Produced by: Andrew Watt and Louis Bell
Album: Youngblood
UK release: April 2018
UK chart peak: 4

Look, here’s the truth: 5 Seconds of Summer have consistently delivered top-draw pop-rock from the word ‘go’, and they’re still as good as – if not better than! – they were when they first broke through five years ago. Even Want You Back – the Youngblood-era single that was met by the mainstream with a collective shrug – is, I swear, much better than everyone said it was at the time.

But Youngblood is their big ace; the deserved smash that returned them to the top-end of the charts in the UK (where it became their first Top 10 single since their initial hot streak), the US (where it became their first Top 10 single full-stop) and their native Australia (where it went all the way to No1).

The vocals are suitably affected, the rhythm is relentless and the underlying angst is perfectly realised. Truly a career-best song from an act who still don’t have the full widespread respect they deserve.

• I’ll be writing about my favourite 100 pop songs of the decade; one a day for the last 100 days of 2019. They’re in no particular order, except the Top 10 – which will (obviously) come in late December.
• See the full list so far here.
• You can follow the rolling, daily-updated playlist below, or here.