Michael Clifford has finally announced that his debut solo album SIDEQUEST will arrive on July 25th via Hopeless Records. The album is an emotionally charged journey that experiments with alternative rock, pop punk, and synthpop elements in ways the 5 Seconds of Summer guitarist never has.
In addition to the highly anticipated album announcement, Clifford teamed up with alternative rock trio Waterparks on new single “give me a break!” The track explores the feelings of impostor syndrome, burnout, and fear of judgment that come with being in the spotlight. The line “One article into a meltdown / last time I checked I was a sell-out” offers insight into his fear of being perceived through the media, especially as he embarks on this solo project.
Waterparks vocalist Awsten Knight hops into the song’s third verse, starting strong with a reference to his band’s 2017 track “Royal,” which explores similar themes about fame and exhaustion. “give me a break!” also features a playful back-and-forth between the two, with a stressed Clifford expressing, “Awsten, you’re making a scene” and a fed-up Knight replying, “Michael, you do the same thing.”
“give me a break!” is the second single from SIDEQUEST, following “cool,” which first invited us into this fun new world of Clifford’s. Fans began speculating that a collaboration was imminent after Knight posted a photo of his nails that had “GMAB!” painted on them earlier this week. The song is accompanied by a fun, unhinged music video that serves as an ode to fanfiction and the “shipping” phenomenon that bands like 5SOS knew all too well back in the 2010s.
Pre-save/pre-order SIDEQUEST here.
SIDEQUEST tracklist:
- “kill me for always” (feat. porter robinson)
- “cool”
- “give me a break!” (feat. waterparks)
- “remember when”
- “enough”
- “fashion”
- “thirsty”
- “nosebleed”
- “if i had a choice” (feat. ryan hall)
- “eclipse”
Keep up with Michael Clifford: Instagram // TikTok // Facebook // YouTube
