With two weeks to go until the release of their fifth studio album, 5SOS, 5 Seconds of Summer have released “Older,” the fifth single to emerge from the project. Unlike the previous four, this one is a soft and weary piano ballad featuring Sierra Deaton, fiancée of lead singer Luke Hemmings. The song floated straight to the top of the Genius Top Songs chart.
Deaton didn’t just provide vocals for the track. She also co-wrote it with Hemmings, Michael Pollack, and 5S0S guitarist Michael Clifford, who handled production. In an Instagram post, Deaton called the song “one of the most special” records she’s ever worked on.
“Luke and I started this idea in our living room back in March 2019 as an ode to 50’s love songs, but it wasn’t until he jokingly sent a voice memo of it years later that Michael convinced us we needed to finish it together,” Deaton wrote. “And I’m so happy he did.”
The song opens with the chorus. For the first couple of lines, it reads like a happy love song, but then you realize Hemmings isn’t just imagining some hypothetical breakup. It feels like a real possibility.
The first verse provides some background. Hemmings and Deaton are looking back at wedding photos, reminiscing about a time when they were impetuous young lovers filled with hope and illicit substances.
These two were supposed to be ride-or-die. Neither is into traveling solo.
In the second verse, we get a sense of what went wrong. Relationships require constant maintenance, and there was some negligence here.
On the bright side, there was no crazy blowout fight or act of betrayal that would make reconciliation impossible. They still remember why they came together in the first place, and they still speak kindly to each other.
The song doesn’t tell us what happens with the couple. But “Older” certainly represents a happy ending for Deaton. “I stopped pursuing an artist career a long time ago as I feel most comfortable being behind the scenes… but I’ve never stopped loving to sing,” she wrote. “So an extra special thank you to my friends in @5sos for wanting to keep my voice on the final version. ?”
You can read all the lyrics to “Older” on Genius now.
