I’ve been a 5 Seconds of Summer fan for as long as I can remember. From crying over the fact that I was only 6 years old when they opened for One Direction and never got to experience the two live, to freaking out over Luke Hemmings announcing he became a father the day after I moved into my dorm (I’m so sorry to my roommate who had to deal with me crying over it). So, needless to say, I, like any other sane fan, stayed up until midnight on November 14th for their new album, EVERYONE’S A STAR!
The promotion for this album has to be one of my favorite examples of album promotion ever. They went absolutely unhinged with the marketing, from the visuals to their chaotic internet presence; the promotion was just absolutely everything. The moment the album dropped on Spotify, each song quite literally had me going from dancing around my room to sitting with my knees curled up against my chest. This album truly had no skips. The pop-punk feel of this whole discography had me going through a series of emotions. With that, I’ll be delving into my top five songs of the album and my thoughts on them.
Telephone Busy
This song was easily one of my favorites of the album. It had me hooked from the pre-chorus hit as Calum and Luke’s vocals blended into this addictive push and pull. The pre-chorus starts with a relaxed and uninterested tone before flipping into a high-pitched and mocking delivery as they head into a thrilling and looping beat that feels fun in an almost anxious way. The beat during the chorus feels intentionally repetitive, as if mimicking the feeling of calling someone over and over. Lyrically, the song is witty, sarcastic, and borderline taunting, as if teasing the listener, especially with lines like “you’re just uncomfortable being with somebody who’s good for you.” Overall, the song feels like one big callout.
Boyband
If I said “Telephone Busy” was my favorite, this song exceeds it. Holy Hell. Honestly, when I first saw this song on the tracklist, all I could think of was that one roast interview they did where they absolutely lost it over being called a boyband. Their one-sided beef with the concept of being a boyband will never not be funny. Calum’s verse in the song was especially powerful. The lyric “love me when I’m skinny and we never, ever age” felt like a direct jab at the idea of fans expecting them to look and sound the same as they did when they were teens just getting into the industry. The song taps into themes of fame, burnout, and how people tend to flatten artists into an image of what they once were.
I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again
If you’re a fan of The 1975, trust me when I say you’ll have this song on repeat. It has that dreamy, slow-burning beat that feels soft on the first listen but absolutely guts you the more you play it. Luke’s verses create an image of fear and regret and the kind of loneliness that hits at night when your thoughts won’t shut up. The song leans into emotional dependency, reflecting how someone’s absence in your life affects you not only emotionally but physically. It’s arguably one of the most introspective and vulnerable tracks on the album.
Evolve
This song is actually so fun, and I can imagine how unreal it would be to experience it live. The song is entirely hedonistic, and I’m here for it. It consists of synthetic beats, a sharp drumming pattern, and an overall explosive and dramatic energy. The interlude is both humorous and enthralling, as an almost robotic voice delves into differences in development between boys and girls, stating, “girls’ brains tend to mature about one to two years earlier than boys.”The interlude almost pokes fun at the earlier verses in the song, in which they sing about being aware of needing to change their destructive habits, yet still chasing pleasure anyway.
Jawbreaker
The closing song of the album, and it absolutely had me crashing to my knees. It’s a calm and hazy closing to an otherwise chaotic album. It honestly feels like the ending to a coming-of-age indie film. The metaphor of an American jawbreaker really ties everything together. A jawbreaker is sweet and vibrant, and it takes forever to wear down and crack. The description of “something from my TV screen” makes them feel surreal and dreamlike, like a fantasy brought to life, hence the lyric “this is everything I didn’t know I wanted.” Using this as a closing takes the album from something chaotic and fun to something bittersweet and vulnerable.
Choosing my top five songs for this album was genuinely so difficult because the more I listened, the more addictive each and every song got. EVERYONE’S A STAR! feels like the band at their most experimental and emotionally honest. It’s the kind of album you have on repeat, and no matter how many times you play it, you can’t get sick of it. I’m excited to see this unfold live, from the chaos to the vulnerability that this album brings. Before I end, let me take the opportunity to formally beg Calum Hood to put his hatred for the song aside and add “Heartbreak Girl” to the setlist.