Michael Clifford of Australian pop band 5 Seconds of Summer performs in the middle of Hollywood & Highland Center in promotion of their new album, “Sounds Good, Feels Good,” on Oct. 23, 2015 on Hollywood, Calif. Credit: Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times via TNS
In 2011, four boys from Sydney, Australia, came together to form the teen pop band 5 Seconds of Summer.
The group rose to stardom in 2014 after releasing the classic hit “She Looks So Perfect,” which peaked at No. 1 in Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand. In the U.S., it peaked at No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, but the band would later go on to achieve three No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200, including their self-titled debut, which charted for 66 weeks.
Also known as 5SOS, the group released their sixth studio album Friday, 14 years after their career took off, taking an entirely original approach for the record “Everyone’s a Star!”
The album takes more of a rock-heavy stance, especially compared to the music that shot the boy band to fame.
The record opens with the album’s namesake track, “Everyone’s a Star!” Immediately, listeners understand this album won’t be anything like the group’s previous work; instead of pop-heavy music and teenage love story lyrics, the band has grown into a serious force in the music industry.
That’s the overall motif of the album — to show the industry that the band has grown up and is looking to be respected as such, instead of being treated like the 19-to-21-year-olds they used to be.
“NOT OK,” one of the album’s singles, is even more rock-focused than the opening song, featuring an electric guitar and drum solo after the bridge.
“Telephone Busy,” another single released on Oct. 23, is the first standout song on the album, almost similar to their 2019 hit “Teeth.” With a beat that is consistent throughout the whole song, most notably in the chorus, 5SOS fully jumped into the deep end of rock.
The chorus is sung over a very staccato beat, with the whole band singing “World is spinning, I’m not dizzy / Call you, but your telephone busy / I been thinking, ‘Do you miss me?’ / ‘Does my memory make you wanna kiss me?’”
The beat might just become something that SoulCycle instructors latch on to, blasting it in the studio to get people moving in class.
The song was a focal point for promoting the album, with the social media team reposting reels and TikToks of the song to build hype.
The energy continues with “Boyband,” a direct callout to the goal of the group with this album — to move past their teen boyband image and into something totally different.
Calum Hood, one of the band’s guitarists, takes the lead vocals in the song, singing “Boy in a boyband, imaginary boyfriend / Irritates the metal heads, it’s your favourite (Boyband) / Boy in a boyband, make that monkey dance / Let me see you clap your hands, it’s your favourite (Boyband).”
After being in the public eye for over a decade, it’s no surprise the band is making a play on the music industry, especially after experiencing it as teenagers. Artists being treated like puppets isn’t new information, so it’s interesting to see the boys address their industry upbringing in a song.
“No. 1 Obsession” rounds out the first half of the album, still riding that pop-rock wave, with a backing track that sounds as if “Telephone Busy” and “NOT OK” had an instrumental, musical baby.
The album calms down for “I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again,” though the drums and guitars are still in the background, just taking a lighter approach compared to the previous tracks. The instruments themselves aren’t softer, but there’s less emphasis on the musicality.
Luke Hemmings, the band’s main vocalist, is the primary voice behind the song, whereas the previous had more group vocals or other band members on the chorus.
“istillfeelthesame” picks the upbeat vibes right back up, pulling in more electronic backtracks, mainly between verses, and then closing out the last 30 seconds of the song with a slow fade-out to transition into “Ghost.”
“Ghost” is the first true slow track on the album, taking more of a 2012 Mac DeMarco feel for the back track.
Again, Hemmings is the lead singer on the song, singing lyrics such as “Late at night, we’re the same, it shows / You and I, haunted by a similar ghost / Drunk and high when I need you most / You and I, haunted by a similar ghost.”
It wouldn’t be a complete 5SOS album without a heartbreak track, which is a slight nod to a motif established in the beginning of their album. While the group is moving further away from their 2010s teenage pop sound, they still have some connection to it years later.
“Sick of Myself” circles back to a similar level of energy that “No. 1 Obsession” has, making it less jarring coming out of “Ghost.”
“Evolve” is another standout on the album, playing into a lot of the same elements as “Telephone Busy” — sharp beats, heavy drum backing and singing the chorus on a set rhythm.
“I know that I lost all, lost all control / I know that I got to, I got to evolve / I know that I lost all, lost all control … I got to evolve.”
The interlude takes a total one-eighty from the rest of the album, using an audio clip discussing how, scientifically, girls mature earlier than boys.
The interlude uses an audio clip of a female voice saying, “During development, girls’ brains tend to mature about one to two years earlier than boys’ / This may be due to earlier myelination, which can occur two to three years sooner in girls / As a result, it is considered that girls are more ready to learn earlier than boys.”
The insert adds more context to the idea of growing up and changing to be in a relationship, while also adding a unique element to the album.
“The Rocks” might be the heaviest song on the album, pulling in all the elements isolated in different songs — electric guitars, bass, drums and a touch of the electric distortion seen in “istillfeelthesame.”
The record closes out with “Jawbreaker,” the second “slow” song on the album. While not as upsetting as “Ghost,” the band comes together to sing a short and sweet end to their sixth full-length piece of work.
Overall, “Everyone’s a Star!” is a drastic shift from the band’s previous work and something that the group executed extremely well.
With intoxicating beats and rhythms, bold drum and guitar backings, as well as the consistently strong vocals from each band member, “Everyone’s a Star!” achieves everything 5SOS was hoping for, and more.
Rating: 5/5, 6 if I could.
