When I heard 5 Seconds of Summer were releasing a new album, something clicked. It had been a while since I properly listened, like, really listened, but I grew up on their music in the One Direction era. I fell in love with the punk-lite chaos, moved on, got older. And now? So have they. But instead of running from their history, Everyone’s a Star! folds it in, pokes fun at it, and turns it into something far more interesting than a typical comeback.
Everyone’s a Star opens the album in an unexpected way. It’s not loud or attention-grabbing, instead, it builds a mood. The vocals are distant, almost like they’re being delivered from behind a screen, and the atmosphere feels slightly detached but purposeful. It’s a track that doesn’t try to win you over; it’s more of a set-up, placing you in this strange, reflective headspace before the chaos kicks in. There’s something quietly confident about starting the album this way, like they’re telling you straight off the bat that they’re not interested in performing a version of themselves that doesn’t exist anymore.
Then NOT OK hits and any subtlety disappears. It’s gritty and chanty, like a controlled explosion, with enough distortion to rattle you in the best way. This is where the album starts to show its teeth, blending their pop-rock core with heavier influences—trip-hop textures, Gorillaz-style chaos, and a lyrical spiral that mirrors the darker corners of fame. It’s a track designed to make you feel slightly unsteady. Mission accomplished.
That self-awareness only sharpens on Boyband, which might be one of the smartest moments of their entire discography. It’s exaggerated, ironic, and completely unbothered by whether it makes you uncomfortable. They’re not just calling out the label that followed them for over a decade—they’re mocking it, performing it, and dismantling it in real time. “Make that monkey dance” and “imaginary boyfriend” land like punches wrapped in glitter. According to their Rolling Stone article, this track started darker and evolved into satire, and you can feel both versions echoing under the surface. It’s wild, ridiculous, and brilliant.
There’s a shift in pace with Telephone Busy, but the mood stays emotionally stuck. The lyrics repeat like a looped thought, claustrophobic, overplayed, and relatable in that “I shouldn’t call but I might anyway” kind of way. It’s deceptively catchy. Then No.1 Obsession slides in, echoing the restlessness of life off-stage. “Take me to heaven, kill the depression”, it’s not subtle, but it doesn’t need to be. It speaks to that all-too-familiar habit of chasing something, anything, to fill the silence once the adrenaline fades. Drugs, adoration, distractions, it’s all tangled up in there.
But the emotional core of the album hits hardest with I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again. This one doesn’t pretend to be okay. It’s messy, pleading, and oddly beautiful. The spoken section sounds like someone rambling at 2am, drunk, desperate, unsure of what they’re really saying. There’s a begging tone that lingers, and the whole thing feels like a memory unravelled in real-time. You just know this one’s going to destroy live.
The next few tracks pull you into a different kind of space. istillfeelthesame keeps things light on lyrics but heavy on synths, with Michael’s vocals carrying most of the emotion. It’s repetitive, like Telephone Busy, but that seems intentional, almost like emotional static. Ghost is one of the most intimate tracks on the record. It’s soft, heavy, and raw. “You and I haunted by a similar ghost” is a lyric that sits with you. It’s about addiction, shared pain, the fear of becoming the version of yourself you’re trying to outrun. If the rest of the album is loud, Ghost is the quiet truth at its centre.
Just when things start to dip into melancholy, Sick of Myself blasts the door open again. It’s layered and punchy, with a sound that wouldn’t be out of place on a Vaccines record. There’s movement, there’s texture, and it’s one of the most energised moments on the album. Evolve follows and shifts the mood again, more introspective, more measured. “Wait for me… I’ve got to evolve” feels like the thesis of the entire record. And the robotic outro? Strange, yes, but in the context of this almost-concept album, it lands. It’s not subtle, but neither is the pressure to change when the whole world’s watching.
The Rocks pulls everything back to where it started. If any song could sit comfortably on an early 5SOS record, it’s this one, but this time, the angst feels earned. “Waves can’t kill, they crash” is such a standout lyric, sharp, simple, and just the right level of dramatic. And then there’s Jawbreaker, closing things out in a dreamlike haze. “American jawbreaker, something from my TV screen”, it’s not an explosive ending, but it fits. Detached, a little surreal, like the fantasy they’ve been dissecting this whole time.
What makes Everyone’s a Star! so compelling isn’t just the shift in sound, it’s the intention behind it. This album isn’t trying to reclaim coolness. It’s unpacking what fame does to you when your image gets more attention than your music. According to Rolling Stone, the band described the project as an exaggerated version of their past selves, a way to play with the myth while still being brutally honest. And you can feel that throughout. It’s theatrical, but rooted in truth. Chaotic, but controlled.
They’ve always been a band that thrives on stage, and with Everyone’s a Star! now out in the world, the live show promises to be something else entirely. Tracks like I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again and NOT OK were clearly made to be felt in a room full of people, and judging by early crowd reactions, the tour will be just as layered and chaotic as the album itself. We’ve pulled together everything you need to know about the upcoming dates, live set previews, and ticket info here, because trust me, this one’s going to hit different.
★★★★★
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