5 Seconds of Summer change up the pace with ‘EVERYONE’S A STAR!’
The quartet put their solo careers on pause for their 6th album.
★★★★☆
Photo: Brian Ziff
If you were a One Direction fan during their prime (2013), then you might’ve been one of the lucky ones to see 5 Seconds of Summer open for them on their Take Me Home tour. Thanks to their close association with the British-Irish boy band, they were branded a ‘boy band’ too, and started their careers trying to move out of the shadows of the big guns.
In 2014, the Aussie four-piece announced their arrival with their self-titled debut album, which included breakaway hits Amnesia and She Looks So Perfect, but played host to gems End Up Here and Never Be. Sure, these four are all boys and they’re in a band, but boy bands are typically known for all being singers with one or no instrument, and, while they do share vocal duties, they also all play their own instruments. Boy band by gender, yes, but pop rock band by genre — if we’re boxing them in.
After their breakout debut album and many fanfics later, along with a hoard of obsessive fans, the band returned a year later with their second album, Sounds Good Feels Good, before taking a three-year break. In 2018, Youngblood was released, which saw the group take a much poppier approach than its predecessors, with the titular track being a smash hit and their first and only track to hit the billion streams mark.
2020 saw them turn things down a notch with CALM, before 5SOS5 in 2022 marked the beginning of a three-year break from the band. With the band working on a sixth album, each member indulged in solo careers before regrouping and revitalising the 5 Seconds of Summer name with a brand new, punkier look and sound.
EVERYONE’S A STAR! kicks off with the title track and sets the pace for the rest of the album to follow. With a dancier, poppier, punkier and, in general, fun new sound, Ashton Irwin, Michael Clifford, Luke Hemmings and Calum Hood have truly returned. Forget what you think you know about this pop group, because their return is a whole new reinvention. This is certainly no boy band.
First single, NOT OK, was everyone’s first taste of the new album, and there isn’t a more fitting introduction than this addictive, pulsating track that draws comparisons to Gorillaz thanks to a vocal effort. In a rare turn for a band that plays all their own instruments, you’ll find it easy to distinguish between their vocals, which they all — including Ashton, the drummer — flex.
Flowing effortlessly into Telephone Busy — arguably one of the best on the album — it feels like you’re in a room full of nothing but bouncing speakers, with the band’s harmonies jumping from ear to ear. It’s followed by another single, Boyband, which shows the band joking about the label they’ve carried around like an anchor since their careers took off. The track details fame and all its bugbears, with the lyrics divulging never ageing and being skinny. The best lyric is their newfound tongue-in-cheek: “Irritates the metal heads, it’s your favourite boyband / Boy in boyband, make that monkey dance”. We’re reminded, of course, that these four are not a product, but humans.
Continuing with the loud, frenetic energy worming its way through the entire album, No.1 Obsession reveals itself as a perfect follow-up to the first three singles, before leading into a whole new sound found on I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again, finally pausing for a breath and bringing a calmer energy. Verses are spoken in a British-sounding voice by bassist Calum, before Luke complements with his familiar vocals, singing “Every bed is cold without your body / Everywhere I go my skin is crawling” over an intoxicating rhythm.
istillfeelthesame changes the pace once more, delivering something short and snappy, but reminiscent of emo pop we’ve seen become popular in recent years and is one of the weakest tracks on the album. At two and a half minutes, it feels like a filler, if only for its length.
With all these raucous, upbeat tracks, Ghost balances those earlier tracks with ease and shows the band in a new light: a simpler, lovestruck number that you wouldn’t expect to find on this album but is a pleasant surprise.
Now we’re sat, comfortable with the gentler pacing, Sick of Myself comes along to show guitarist Luke at his best vocally, and feels almost reminiscent of British titans The Vaccines with its indie intricacies.
Just like that, with the tenth track Evolve, we’re back with the new sound the band have carved out and made their own. Try as you might, these songs are meant to be played loud and on repeat. “Don’t get me wrong, I know it’s hard to love me / Round and round, an emotional junkie”, Luke sings, summing up the themes of the album with ease.
Penultimate track The Rocks sees the band turn back time and sound like they’d fit perfectly on any of Panic! At The Disco’s early discography, yet somehow manage to create something addictive, adding to an album already filled with so much substance, making it one of the best pop albums of the year.
The album ends on a high note, as expected, with track Jawbreaker, starting off calm and collected before revealing itself as a whole new entity, and feels like the perfect closing to a high-energy album.
If this is 5 Seconds of Summer’s new direction — caricatures of themselves, Luke Hemmings donning Liberty spikes and dressed like they’ve ransacked every emo shop within a ten-mile radius — then leaning into this new appearance and sound suits them. Shedding their boy band skin, this pop punk era is in full swing.
Highlights: Telephone Busy, Boyband, Ghost and Jawbreaker.
EVERYONE’S A STAR is out November 14th via Republic Records. Pre-order the album here.
