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Associated Press
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Music Review: 5 Seconds of Summer's Michael Clifford goes solo on ambitious, pop-punk 'SIDEQUEST'
Over a decade ago, the Australian pop-punk boy band 5 Seconds of Summer emerged as charming genre-revivalists. Their 2014 career-making single 'She Looks So Perfect' was all palm-muted power chords and gang vocals, a familiar sound for fans of the Warped Tour scene. In the years since, the quartet evolved into a full-on arena pop-rock act, taking turns at releasing solo material. Next up is lead guitarist Michael Clifford, the edgiest of the bunch, with a spirited solo debut album that feels truer to the band's earliest material than their most recent. But he doesn't just rehash the past. Rather, the colorful-haired musician adds his own twist on 'SIDEQUEST.' Ten energetic, introspective tracks form a tight album that explores self-doubt, fame and romance. The songs are pop-punk in spirit but deviate from the formula with a stadium-sized production: experimental electronics, big synths and versatile vocals. And it is an emotional journey. The lovesick opener 'Kill Me for Always,' featuring Porter Robinson, sets the stage, with its scintillating mix of electronica and bass. The sound of 'Cool,' released as a single, acts as the strongest evidence of Clifford's former boy band roots. It's self-deprecating and self-aware. 'Confidence doesn't come so easily / When you're the guy who caught fire with the colored hair / From the band with the song about underwear,' Clifford sings, referencing the chorus of 'She Looks So Perfect.' In an album stuffed with energetic songs juxtaposed with existential lyrics, the best track arrives at a midpoint high in 'Enough.' 'At 3 a.m. awake again / I can see all of the damage you've done,' Clifford sings through an evocative rasp. 'With friends like you who needs a loaded gun.' 'Remember When' and 'Fashion' maintain the swoony cadence of Clifford's 5 Seconds of Summer work; 'Eclipse' ends the album in a crescendo. 'SIDEQUEST' sets out to prove it's both a culmination of the last decade of Clifford's life and a deviation from it, as he steps into his own sound. Thankfully, for fans, it succeeds. The debut album reflects Clifford's maturation and self-agency, despite the insecurities and doubts that creep in throughout. 'All I've done / Is it ever gonna be enough?' Clifford sings, growing hoarser, in 'Enough.' Then the question changes: 'Am I ever gonna be enough?' On 'SIDEQUEST,' the answer, quite simply, is yes.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Michael Clifford Enlists Porter Robinson For New Single ‘Kill Me For Always'
Michael Clifford has continued the rollout of his freshly-minted solo career with the release of his third single, 'Kill Me For Always'. The follow-up to his Waterparks collaboration 'Give Me A Break!' from last month sees him working with another American act – this time producer and singer Porter Robinson, marking the first time that the pair have worked together on a song. 'Kill For Me Always' also serves as the opening track to Clifford's forthcoming debut solo album, Sidequest. In a press statement, Clifford noted that Robinson had been his 'favourite artist for a really long time'. 'The idea of us creating something together was just a pipe dream to me,' he said. 'Kill Me For Always' was a song that took a lot of trial and error to get this song 100% right. As the first track off my upcoming album, I think it perfectly sets the tone of the beginning of a story.' A lyric video for the single has also been shared, with animation by Conor Murphy and artwork by Audrey Mai. Sidequest is set for release on Friday, July 25th via Hopeless Records. It will mark the third solo album from a member of 5 Seconds Of Summer to be released in the last 12 months, with drummer Ashton Irwin sharing his second solo effort Blood On The Drums in July 2024 and bassist Calum Hood releasing his solo debut Order Chaos Order earlier this month. The latter album debuted at number one on the ARIA Albums Chart, becoming the second 5SOS alum to do so following frontman Luke Hemmings doing so in 2021 with When Facing The Things We Turn Away From. Robinson, meanwhile, toured Australia back in March in support of his third studio album, SMILE! . While in the country, he and his band visited the triple j studios to participate in Like A Version – where they covered Fontaines D.C.'s 2024 single 'Favourite', as well as performing his song 'Cheerleader'. He is set to conclude a North American DJ tour in Toronto next month. 5SOS' Ashton Irwin: 'There's A Different Type Of Masculinity In Australia That Really Crippled My Physical Identity' Porter Robinson & Madeon On The Beauty Of Being On Stage Together & The Influence Of Japanese Culture On Their Music 5SOS On The 'Lightness' Of 'CALM', Learning To Understand Each Other & Why This Album Is For The Fans The post Michael Clifford Enlists Porter Robinson For New Single 'Kill Me For Always' appeared first on Music Feeds.
