Can't Tell the Difference Between 5sos and 1D?

Tuesday has been a very busy day for 5 Seconds of Summer, perhaps better known to fans as 5sos. Despite their international fame, 5sos is still mostly known in America for being the band that opened for One Direction during their Take Me Home Tour. However, 5sos has always been so much more than that and it's about time America began to take notice. Not only did the band appear on the TODAY show Tuesday morning, but 5sos also released their debut album in North America, prompting screaming fans to descend en masse on the nearest music store (even if it was just iTunes) to grab themselves a copy.

For those who have no idea who these guys are, 5sos is a pop punk rock band (who qualify themselves as a band of boys and not a boy band) from Australia that formed in 2011. Their first worldwide release was the single "She's Looks So Perfect", which debuted at number one in several countries and was certified platinum. They released another single called "Don't Stop", noteworthy for its superhero themed lyric and music video, before their self-titled album finally hit the shelves. However, they're going to have some pretty steep competition because America already has a favorite boy band and that boy band is One Direction.

The first and most important thing to know about 5sos is that they are not One Direction. Sure, the two bands have some things in common as all bands are wont to do, but they're still two distinct entities. Even if you only start listening to 5sos because you like One Direction, don't walk up to the nearest longtime 5sos fan and make the comparison. Just don't. But if you'd like a simplistic breakdown of what the bands do (and don't) have in common, here's a handy chart for newcomers to the 5sos bandwagon.

Similarities

• Both One Direction and 5sos are represented by London-based management agency Modest Management.
• One Direction's debut album Up All Night debuted at number one in Canada and peaked at number one in numerous other countries. 5sos' debut album 5 Seconds of Summer debuted at number one in numerous countries as well.
• Whether you want to call them a boy band or a band of boys, the fact still remains that One Direction and 5sos are both single-gendered bands.
• Directioners are notoriously crazy, but the fans of 5sos are not to be ignored either. Even before their album came out in North America, fans of 5sos have been adoring the band with just as much passion as any Directioner.
• This can mainly be seen on Twitter, on which 5sos fans have had just as many Twitter trends make it worldwide as Directioners have, thank you very much.

Differences

• One Direction is a British band and 5sos is an Australian one.
• When One Direction was put together during the The X Factor, all of them were strangers to one another except for Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson who had already met in a bathroom. All of the members of 5sos met at Norwest Christian College except for drummer Ashton Irwin, who joined the band later.
• The boys of One Direction started out as individual competitors on the The X Factor before they were put in the band by Simon Cowell. 5sos started out as YouTube celebrities who gained notoriety doing cover songs before they were signed to a label.
• One Direction might be a British band, but the United States is the country that made them huge. 5sos, on the other hand, is a huge deal in just about every other country except the United States, so we're pretty late to this party.
• One Direction's first tour before their debut album ever came out was as part of the X Factor Live Tour and they were just one of many acts at the time. 5sos' first tour before their debut album was as the opening act on One Direction's Take Me Home Tour, which helped them rise to international fame.
• One Direction has five members: Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson. 5 Seconds of Summer has four members: Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood, and Ashton Irwin.

This is just a very basic overview, but if 5sos is going to become a force to be reckoned with in the same country that made One Direction a thing then this is just the very least that you'll need to know about them. You're welcome.

Image: niallhorantheirish/Tumblr; 5sos Wiki