5 Seconds of Summer Cool
5SOS Revive 50s Rockabilly Culture on Youngblood
Like something out of the San Junipero episode of Black Mirror, 5 Seconds of Summer’s new music video for their single “Youngblood” explores the themes of love and death in a refreshing way. From the opening scene we see an old Japanese couple thanking each other for the past sixty years before simultaneously taking a mysterious looking pill. What will happen? Is it suicide? No, the pills will let them revisit their carefree youthful lives for twenty four hours.
It’s a beautiful tale of romance shown through the lens of a “one last goodbye” narrative. “Youngblood” captures the passion of young love yet it’s also a tribute to the lasting romance of a sixty year marriage. In addition to offering this exciting vision of endless love, the video also highlights the theatrical Japanese subculture of 1950’s rockabilly complete with leather jackets, pompadours, flirty swing dresses, and dead sexy tattoos.
Perhaps inspired by the Bosozoku movement in Japan who were known for riding illegally customized motorcycles and dressing in Rebel Without A Cause-inspired outfits, rockabilly culture in Japan is certainly alive and well in this music video.
The song itself is a standout single on the Australian pop rock band’s newest album of the same name. Boasting over 270 million plays on Spotify and over 8 million views on Youtube, “Youngblood” is sure to be an anthem for the remaining five seconds of the summer.
