If you’re anything like me, your last few months have been consumed by anticipation for the return of 5SOS, or 5 Seconds of Summer. The band’s most recent album was released in 2022, so the world had been without the group for some time. Granted, all four members released solo projects during that time, all of which are definitely worth listening to. However, I definitely squealed in excitement when “NOT OK” was released after mysterious teasing from the Instagram page yourfavoriteboybandhq. The announcement of 5SOS’s sixth studio album, EVERYONE’S A STAR!, followed shortly thereafter. Two more singles, “Boyband” and “Telephone Busy” followed, making up tracks 2-4 of the album. With a fun new style, ridiculous spikes in Luke Hemming’s hair, the gimmick of a pink limo, and a 2026 tour announcement, 5SOS was back! Which brings us to November 14th, 2025. Album release day. At 12am EST, the highly anticipated album became ours to listen to.
Was it worth the wait?
The short answer is definitely! The long answer is that it isn’t exactly perfect.
I love the energy and the sound of the album. Let’s take a look at the tracklist for those who are unfamiliar:
- “Everyone’s a Star”
- “NOT OK”
- “Telephone Busy”
- “Boyband”
- “No. 1 Obsession”
- “I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again”
- “istillfeelthesame”
- “Ghost”
- “Sick of Myself”
- “Evolve”
- “The Rocks”
- “Jawbreaker”
I didn’t end up liking the title track nearly as much as I was expecting to. From the snippets that had been teased, I was anticipating more of a “No Shame” sound, but didn’t quite get it. “NOT OK” has been a jam for me since it was released as a single, and I continue to hold it in high regard after hearing the whole album. I have no complaints against the other two singles; they’re just fine to me.
The album really hits its stride in the run of tracks five through ten. I thought “No. 1 Obsession” was going to be my easy favorite, but I was gagged at how much I liked “I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again.” The album is less than 24 hours post-release as I’m writing this, so my opinions are still evolving, but that is my current favorite off the album. I love the blend of vocals present on the song. I’m extremely excited to see it live! The pop-rock energy is continued on tracks seven, nine, and 10. “Ghost” is a bit of a slower, more emotional song. Tracks 11 and 12 are also just fine to me, especially with “Jawbreaker” being so short.
All that being said, you can definitely feel a little bit of each previous album on this one. There are a lot of debut album and Sounds Good Feels Good present here, but if you’re a big fan of CALM, Youngblood, or 5SOS5, you’ll be happy as well. This album is the ultimate culmination of 5SOS’s sounds throughout the years.
My biggest criticism of the album is the length. The album is 12 tracks, which is on the shorter side, but not necessarily a criticism. But the listening time is only 36 minutes. That’s about three minutes per song on average.
Let’s compare that against some of their other albums. 5SOS5, the previous most recent album, comes in at a massive 19 tracks for a total of an hour and four minutes. Breaking that down into minutes per song, a track from that album is 3:22 on average. Nearly half a minute longer than the average track on EVERYONE’S A STAR! But maybe that album simply had longer tracks. CALM, at 13 tracks and a 43 and a half minute listening time, averages 3:21 per track. 5 Seconds of Summer, their debut album, 3:13. Sounds Good Feels Good (Deluxe), 3:45. The closest album is Youngblood (Deluxe) at 3:08, still boasting a longer run time on average. Additionally, EVERYONE’S A STAR! also has a firm claim on the shortest 5SOS track, with “Jawbreaker” at only 2:09 for runtime. “Sick of Myself” matches “BLENDER” from 5SOS5 with a 2:27 runtime, making them tied for the second-shortest track.
Ashton Irwin, the band’s drummer, commented on the decreasing length of pop songs in his interview last year on the Zach Sang Show. “People are releasing songs that are a minute-forty now. It’s jingle territory. And I didn’t get into this to write jingles,” he said in reference to the length of songs on his own album, BLOOD ON THE DRUMS. “Jawbreaker,” in my opinion, is in danger of being looped into that jingle territory, just creeping over the two-minute mark.
I simply would’ve liked a bit more length on those shorter tracks.
As for the tour, I can’t wait! I bought my tickets in the artist presale. It honestly was the most fairly priced arena tour I’ve seen in a long time. I bought two tickets for $99 each (before fees) for Loge 7 row 4 at TD Garden. For comparison, that was around the starting price for Maroon 5 and was significantly cheaper than the starting price for Benson Boone’s tour in the same venue. So, although $200 is not the cheapest for concert tickets, for the quality of the seats I got, I am more than happy. The show starts at $53.50 (with fees). If you’re considering seeing 5SOS in 2026, the show is relatively affordable. Don’t miss out!
And if you haven’t given the album a shot yet, you will not be disappointed. No matter what previous album was your favorite, you’re bound to find a track that suits your vibe.