Australian pop - punk rock band 5 SOS as they have come to be known all over the world, bring you a guitar heavy album of 15 tracks one overlapping the other. With the exception of a few catchy numbers with equally catchy choruses, most of the songs here get repetitive and hard on the ears, but if you like your music loud and brash, which is what 5 SOS bring you, take your fill of the newest under 17s on the block, who have made a name for themselves closely after boy band One Direction.

The quartet’s self-titled debut album, has a few promising songs like Don't Stop, Good Girls, 18, and Mrs. All American, backed by tight songwriting and lyrical effects about love and heartbreak, sometimes a bit of wit that would surely appeal to their target audience namely the young generation.

On Good Girls, the 5SOS boys speak about a girl who "studies hard in her room/at least that's what her parents assume." The hook on Kiss Me Kiss Me is naughty and full of teasers. One thing we noticed on the inlay cover is that their song names are depicted with what they talk about. So Kiss me Kiss Me is written on red lips, while the song 18 is well just 18, and is a legitimately funny, insanely catchy ode to the frustration of waiting for adulthood when you're still a punk kid. The lyrics go "She's got a naughty tattoo/In a place that I want to get to/But my mom still drives me to school….." The song also has some great percussion in the between. Quite creative work from the young fellows.

We move ahead and find Everything I Didn't Say; the song name says it all, which is basically a tale of romantic regret, very appealing at first listen, with neat lyrics to go with it. The song shines through, with its up-tempo melody. The tempo slows down slightly when the four boys hit out on Long Way Home, giving a break from the incessant guitar crashing. In the same vein, you can also take a chance with the power ballad Beside You with amazing words… "When we both fall asleep/underneath the same sky/to the beat of our hearts at the same time/so close but so far away…..." Other notable tracks include Voodoo Doll, Never Be and Amnesia.

You would need a second listen to really get to digest 5 SOS. The songs are heavy and unlike pure pop songs which are easily tuned immediately; this will take time to get you on their level. The boys write their own tunes so do pick that album cover and read the lyrics closely while you listen to the band belt out each track and maybe… join in singing with them (if you can that is), for this is surely a band to watch out for in the years to come. Lyrics included.

-  Reviewed by Verus Ferreira