Everyone’s A Star has genuinely dethroned Youngblood for me. Which is an incredibly bold statement, I’ve been a Youngblood girl since 2018. That’s 7 whole years of standing 10 toes down that Youngblood is 5 Seconds Of Summers best album. However… Them all taking breaks to do solo music, exploring their own sound and having that creative outlet, I think really brought them together.
5SOS being able to do that for themselves really strengthened the band as a unit, and I think they’ve done incredibly with the marketing, the events surrounding this album rollout and just the overall sound of the album.

“More ego” and “guaranteed to kill the depression” have both been heavily used as tag lines throughout this, and I, for one, can confirm that their egos have only gotten bigger, and that my depression is cured.

Album Rating: 4.15/5 ⭑

‘Everyone’s A Star!’
4/5 ⭑

The intro to this song, and larger, the whole album, gets me so hyped up. Those who get it, get it, it builds a level of anticipation and sets the tone.
I think it captures the vibe of the album perfectly, it calls to a lot of themes throughout the rest of the songs, but has this upbeat drum and bass led track to it. Which is apparent throughout the rest of the album.
5SOS have really found their sound with this album I think, it showcases Lukes vocals stunningly, Ashton and Calum both didn’t come to play with the beats, and the synths that have been dotted throughout their previous albums, have taken more of a front seat too. ‘Everyone’s A Star’ captures all of those things so well.
It’s a direct call to the glamorous life. With lyrics acting as easter eggs to the other songs, the bridge is beautiful, quite literally the type that takes you out of the song for a moment and places you in this heavenly little bubble. I think it’s 5SOS’ strongest album opener.

Favourite lyric: “Everything is better when I don’t know what it means”

‘NOT OK’
4/5 ⭑

When this first release, my jaw was on the floor. I had no idea 5SOS had this sound in them, I prayed for times like this.
I am obsessed with how drum heavy it is – that will be a recurring note throughout this album review, Ashton absolutely killed it. I love the chaos, I never expected them to come back this hard and this intense, it’s an iconic first single.
After 5SOS5, I was really expecting them to continue down the more manufactured pop sound, but to have them flip that on its head, is crazy to me. I am so here for it.
This is where I think 5SOS thrive as a band, they’ve married some of their best existing sound, with new edge and really shifted the genre they play.
I went into depth a little more when the single dropped, here.

Favourite lyric: “And when my heart slows down, will you pick me up?”

‘Telephone Busy’
4.5/5 ⭑

This has to be my favourite of the singles. It’s rare we get a lead vocal from Ashton, so it really scratches a certain part of my brain. I also love how bass heavy it is – again, another recurring theme, I won’t mention it too much, just know I love it.
There’s a certain ego to this song. The aura of the song, it’s sexy, the way it makes you feel, that’s what’s sexy. The constant uttered “Do you wanna kiss me?” coming from men that attractive… like yeah, duh.
There’s also a slight difference in tone within the “like I’ll never change”/”I won’t ever change” hook, and I think in my perspective, it’s a nod to the people they’re singing about, but also an acknowledgement within themselves, that they know they won’t ever change – specifically as men. It’s almost introspective and reflective but in a fun, not emotionally draining, way.

Favourite lyric: “Big heart that I tore apart, this one’s gonna leave a scar, already messed it up, so I don’t hesitate, okay!”

‘Boyband’
4/5 ⭑

This song, surface level seems like a fun pop-beat. WRONG! It’s heart wrenching, especially as someone who is a fan of boybands in general, and who has been in both sides of the industry, the fangirl, and the professional.
It’s quite loud about the themes of exploitation within the music industry towards boybands. How overworked they are, how sexualised they are, and how they are put on a pedestal and treated like Gods, until they do something wrong, or are deemed unattractive by the masses.
But also, “I only feel alive when you’re looking at me”, has air of dread to it. Whilst it sounds fun and exciting, who doesn’t want to be so heavily and intensely admired? It just gives a sense of desperation for external validation.
The lyrics are clear to those who listen and understand. But I do think you have to have a level of connection to it, to really understand it without it just sounding like they’re having a blast being in a silly little band pissing off metal-heads.
Again, another deeper dive can be found, here.

Favourite lyric: “When I’m dead and gone, bury me in stardust”

‘No.1 Obsession’
5/5 ⭑

This is easily my second favourite song on the album. When I love songs as much as this, sometimes I struggle to put into words how I feel about it.
It’s just so catchy, but not in an annoying or repetitive way, quite literally in the most addictive way.
It jumps straight into it, and the vocals bounce from ear to ear, it is so satisfying. ‘No.1 Obsession’ builds in a way I have always wanted a song to build. It’s predictable in some ways, the constant build to the chorus, and then the drops, but they have mastered it. It is flawless, there’s no other word for it.
This songs is the embodiment of the fun parts of ‘Boyband’, it’s all the admiration, the God-like treatment, the putting someone on a pedestal, without the darker sides of it all. Going from “I only feel alive when you’re looking at me” to “God, you make me feel alive”, these songs are related, I just can’t prove it. It is incredibly fun to be so enamoured by someone and this song makes it feel like such a rush of affection. But again, that feeds right back into the structure of the song, it is perfectly placed, it builds in such a fun way, and the way the backing vocals and lead vocals towards the end of the bridge start to merge, is just perfect. It eases you back into the main parts of the song.
The bridge towards the end of the song just sounds beautiful, if a song could make you levitate, it’d be this song, and it’d be that specific part.

Favourite lyric: “Crush me with the sunshine of your heart, shine a light on all my darkest parts”

‘I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again’
4/5 ⭑

One thing 5SOS are really good at, is telling a story within their songs. ‘I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again’ is a very good example of being so desperately in love that every other part of life feels so dull and bland without that person with you. Calums vocals in this song really pull it together. It reminds me so much of Djo’s music, and I am a massive fan of Djo. The soft talking between the louder – almost yelling choruses offers a beautiful contrast. And I quite enjoy the abrupt ending, every time the song finishes, that ending feels a bit like a punch to the gut, a moment of reflection and sitting with the feeling.

Favourite lyric: “I was thinking this would never end. Now I’m screaming through a nightmare.”

‘istillfeelthesame’
4/5 ⭑

The immediate fast-paced beat to this song gets your body moving. If we ignore the lyrics for a moment, sonically, you can run around and really burn off some steam to this unsuspecting song. However, if we pay attention to the lyrics, it makes me feel miserable. Feeling that shift with someone you love, what’s changed? Why is the energy different? Reassuring someone that you still feel the same way, but you’re unsure if they do. There’s an air of desperation and longing, needing answers to questions that are too scary to ask.
Michaels solo is my favourite part, it’s catchy, it’s desperate and it expresses the frustration of the situation in such a clear way.
I also really enjoy the interlude at the end, it sounds almost like a cassette change? But the change of pace from the song into the interlude is interesting. It feels nostalgic in a way, but it also feels like a musical way of telling someone to slow down, the desperation stops, the dread stops, and we’re left with this quiet, peaceful acceptance of what just unfolded in the song.

Favourite lyric: “Got no sleep, my eyes are bleeding, everything is losing meaning, tell me I’m your human being, my love.”

‘Ghost’
4.5/5 ⭑

The more I listen to this song, the more little details I find within it. We will never know who this is about, and I am not one to conspire. But with how the lyrics keep everything anonymous, I believe there are multiple perspectives within this song.
I think it’s easy to listen to the song through the lens of a partner or lover. But I find myself always going back to the idea of it being a friend, or even a past-self.
“Drunk and high, when I need you most” was the first lyric I realised was up for wider interpretation. I reframed it in two ways:
1- “You’re always drunk and high, whenever I need your help”, it puts it through the lens of abandonment on the speakers part. It’s desperate, it’s a clear call for help, and never receiving it because the other party is putting drugs and alcohol above a human beings need for connection and love.
2- “When I’m drunk and high, that’s when I need you the most”, it’s now more of a downward spiral on the speakers part. These feelings are pushed down until there’s substances involved, and that’s when the desperation kicks in, the need for attention, using those substances as an escape but failing.
“Totalled the Porsche, I’m always bending”… bending what? The truth? To fit someone else’s narrative, or to fit your own idea of who you thought this person was? In naivety to fool yourself because you love them.
If you do listen to it through the lens of a lover, the “Jesus can save him!” part feels slightly out of place to the rest of the story being told.
Lyrically, it is one of 5SOS’ deeper cuts, and the anonymity of it, the shifts in perspective, the uncertainty of the situation, allows for even more depth. It then can become whatever the listener wants it to be.
The bridge into the drum solo is the closest we will get to a rock ballad from 5SOS, but it is beautiful.
Even more so, the lyrics to the bridge have such a gut-wrenching insight to the fear of whatever the situation is. Being too afraid to close your eyes because your mind is darker than reality.
“I can’t look you in the eyes ’cause I’m afraid it looks like me” is another lyric that can shift perspective, it could be someone looking in a mirror and seeing their inner-self, looking at themselves and seeing who they once were, or they could be looking at a lover or a friend and are being forced to face what they’ve done. You see yourself in people, and sometimes that’s great, sometimes it fills you with dread, and this feels like dread.

Favourite lyric: “I don’t want to go to sleep ’cause I’m afraid of what I’ll see, I can’t look you in the eyes ’cause I’m afraid it looks like me”

‘Sick Of Myself’
4/5 ⭑

Something about this songs reminds me of 00’s rom-coms, I’m not sure what, or why I feel like that.
It’s a fun song, it’s romantic in ways, desperate in others… they really are yearning a lot on this album. It’s just a really easy song to listen to.
I love the switch up from “where are you sleeping tonight?” to “I need you, I need you tonight”, it’s so fun. There’s no other word for this song, it’s so much fun. The beat is infectious, the lyrics are catchy, the way it builds and peaks is predictable in a way, but it works incredibly well.
Finishing on such a high with the repeated “please stay” that builds and builds, then dramatically cuts off and goes silent, again… it’s fun!

Favourite lyric: “I’m drifting out of touch, miss who I once was, I can’t look myself in the eyes”

‘Evolve’
5/5 ⭑

I wish I could be normal about this song. In short, in my opinion it’s 5SOS’ best song. They have songs that have deeper lyrics, cleaner sounds, but it’s the culmination of every element of this song, that makes it simply flawless.
There are talks online of this being a “feminist anthem”, and I couldn’t disagree more, I think this song is toxic, even a little bit manipulative, but that’s why I love it. It stares the problem with manhood, right in its face, and then… ignores it anyway. It’s reflective, it talks about how terrible men are, and whilst I can appreciate the message, to hear it from 4 men, is what makes it incredibly ironic. ‘Evolve’ toys with the idea of men needing to better themselves, to catch up to women, which is true. But the chorus still implies that they have no real intention of changing, saying “wait for me”, “I wanna do drugs” etc. it’s like they’re saying “I know I’m problematic, but I still want to do all of these things so…”
It’s still putting the mental load on the women, it’s the expectation that women need to fix men, rather than men seeing these problems and fixing themselves.
“I wanna get fucked”, always screamed to me as a “I wanna get fucked up” type lyric, not “I wanna have sex”, because they say that in the previous line: “I wanna make love”, I think it ties more into the wanting to do drugs, and get drunk, and just be completely reckless. Which I think is also slightly confirmed in the background “You’re gonna throw up” afterwards.
The addition of the robotic-styled woman speech about how girls are more developed than boys because of how we grow up and how our bodies and hormones change us, it’s a really interesting moment.
“It is considered that girls are more -” EVOLVED! “- are ready to learn earlier than boys”

Favourite lyric: “Don’t get me wrong I know it’s hard to love me, round and around an emotional junkie”

‘The Rocks’
4.5/5 ⭑

On first listen, ‘The Rocks’ was top 3, and has remained that way. Everyone’s A Star is the first album in a long time, where my immediate top 3, stayed my top 3.
It’s another song that just spirals in its desperation, but this time a little more angry.
Put me in a rage room and play this song, nothings making it out in one piece.
This song showcases Lukes range beautifully, we get the high notes, the depth of emotion, the isolated vocals and everything in between.
What I immediately grasped onto in this song, was the romance in throwing oneself onto the rocks to support someone else, but the overarching theme seems to be that they’re also feeling lost. Whilst it is a big romantic gesture to be there for someone, to support them through everything, it lacks the acknowledgement that the other person would do the same for them. Struggling to balance loving someone with all their problems, whilst also trying to deal with the isolation and despair of feeling broken within yourself is a really difficult fight to fight.
This song, sounding upbeat and pop-punkish, is actually quite heavy, but I think that’s where 5SOS thrive as a group.

Favourite lyric: “Don’t you get sick of it, living in isolation? Cut off, cut off like an island nation”

‘Jawbreaker’
3/5⭑

Maybe I’m missing something huge in this song, that other people get. But something doesn’t quite hit the mark for me. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it’s a skip, it’s still a very good song, but there’s something about the pacing that I don’t love.
Calums vocals are stunning, as expected. I love the drums and I think the lyrics are sweet. Sometimes even if objectively I should enjoy a song, I just don’t.
If I think about it, I think it’s the chorus that doesn’t sit well, I’m really just not sure what it all means. Some lyrics are very romantic, but what is a jawbreaker in this metaphor? What do mezzanines have to do with it? Why is dread blue and yellow? I just have so many questions about the choice of words and the structure of how it flows, that I can’t get as invested in it as I’d like to.

Favourite lyric: “Now I can’t pretend that my hearts on house arrest, all the darker parts of me are caving in”

‘Start Over’
3.5/5 ⭑

Lukes deluxe song.
Everything I love about this album, isn’t showcased in this song, which is why it has to get rated a little lower. Whilst drums are still the prominent instrument, and it has a sense of yearning to it, it’s a little too repetitive for me. It doesn’t build like I’d expect it to, given the rest of the album.
‘Start Over’ reminds me quite a lot like their song ‘Midnight’ in terms of sound.
I think it’s very peaceful, if this song could embody anything, it would be sparkles. It is a very pretty sounding song, it’s just not one I reach for, or one I go to talk about when I am asked about the album.

Favourite lyric: “Wishing every face I see was like you”

‘Wishful Dreaming’
4/5 ⭑

Michaels deluxe song.
If it wasn’t for the sickening bass that kicks in near the start, I’d have this on the same page as ‘Start Over’, but I think the shared vocals, the showcasing of more instruments and the builds in the song, bumps it up in the rankings.
This is the type of song with a chorus you can scream at the top of your lungs and it would feel so cathartic and healing.
The moments of acoustic strumming throughout, makes it feel nostalgic, it reminds me of ‘Me, Myself and I’ a little, in those moments specifically.

Favourite lyric: “Romantic disillusion, we run for paradise, sleep walking through the motions”

‘Chest’
4.5/5 ⭑

Ashtons deluxe song.
A Calum lead vocal, like solo vocal, are few and far between but I eat them up.
Calum and Ashton absolutely killed this song, it’s easily my favourite from the deluxe tracks.
It has an electric edge to it which makes it another interesting moment in 5SOS’ discography. Being able to experiment with new sounds, adding new elements and shifting genres between albums is something I really appreciate about 5SOS. It showcases such a strength between the band members, and this song is one that puts that on display.
Songs like this, when each member picks a favourite, gives us a peek into their lives, or their mindsets either in general, or specifically in the creation of this album. And I think it’s great as a listener to be able to gravitate to and from different songs depending on where I am in life.

Favourite lyric: “Keep loving me to death, promise I won’t forget the angel in my head, if nothing’s permanent, keep loving me”

‘I’ll Find You’
4/5 ⭑

Calums deluxe song.
This song is beautiful, it is every word that exists that also means beautiful.
Calum has a certain cadence to his voice, a softness that the others don’t have, they are all incredible vocalists, but they are all strong in their own ways. Calums softness is something I’ve spoken about before. To have that weaved so perfectly into such a slow, peaceful, ethereal song, is just… something so special.
Oh to be in love, to feel the feelings this song portrays, it must be such an easy life. It captures calmness like no other song does, safety, pure innocent love. This song makes me teary eyed with every listen, it really is just beyond beautiful.
I am lost for words with this song.

Favourite lyric: “A second then it slides into forever”

Honourable Mention:

‘Cool Dad’
2/5 ⭑

I know this is an unserious song, so it gets an unserious ranking that will not impact the overall album ranking.
It’s like ‘Pizza’ but on steroids, all grown up. I love that the band are able to still have fun and mess around like this.
Lyrically, what the hell is going on, it’s so funny. I just know 5SOS’ kids are going to listen to this one day, and point and laugh.
Production though? Insane, that’s so cool.

Favourite lyric: “I was young once, I know how it goes”

Overall, their best album so far. I have sat with it for as long as possible, to see if the excitement and novelty of a new release would wear off, but alas, it has not.
I really enjoy the themes throughout this album, I love the introspectiveness of it all and how deep they are able to go, whilst not losing sight of the flow of the music itself.
The time apart, spent on their solo music, only strengthened them as a group and spending 3 years on this album, paid off.
Anyway before I bore people to death after writing so much, I’ll call it here. I’m now anxiously waiting for tour to start! See you on the road!

(all photos used within this blog post are my own, please do not use without permission or credit)