By Jessi Aitken

5 Seconds of Summer (5SoS), an Australian boyband who blew up in 2013 when they opened for One Direction, released their sixth album ‘Everyone’s A Star!’ on the 14 November 2025.

The band was labelled as a ‘pop-punk boy band’ and have kept that alternative pop sound throughout their discography, trying to rip away from the boyband mould. This album is their most experimental but also the most self-assured. It balances the nostalgic sound so many people love but also brings in new experimental sounds with a dance and smooth grooving bass sound. This album also highlights each members solo sounds with rock, synth pop, dream pop and indie sounds. Despite the mix of genres, the album and songs sound balanced and flows song to song.

The opening track ‘Everyone’s A Star!’ stands out as a creative freedom from the industry. Being able to produce the music and sounds they want and not the same recycled, repetitive pop-punk boyband albums they released at the beginning of their careers. It shows this album is a breath of fresh air and a more authentic sound from songs like ‘She’s So Perfect’ that blew up with support when it came out.

‘I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again’ is a personal and softer song about having to learn in relationships after living the ‘perfect’ famous life with superfans, parties and money to spend on anything they want. The song also shows yearning and desperation, allowing themselves to be criticised about their behaviour in relationships in this stage of their lives.

The album explores their personal relationships and how they have had to learn and mature after living their life too fast, getting caught up in parties, fans and hate at a young age. The album has a perfect mix of vulnerability and accountability, while having a flowing sound throughout with synth sounds, a dream pop feel and that classic underlying rock sound 5SoS is known for.

The album explores their youth and growing up in the public eye, carrying the pressure to constantly be perfect, on and off stage, be attractive and what people want - like a puppet for the media. While also poking fun at their previous albums fitting perfectly in the boyband mould it also displays and proves how far they have come musically and lyrically.

The album has had a mostly positive reaction with many saying it’s a perfect mix of experimental sounds and the typical 5SoS sound, overall saying it has a great variety while still flowing and being catchy. However, there are some critics saying the lyrics are hollow and not up the usual standard and some saying the album gets weak in the middle with the sadder songs lumped together.

I think the album is a perfect mix of experimentation and nostalgia, with catchy new synth sounds giving it a dance retro feel and older pop-punk rock sounds. All 12 songs are lyrically strong and have a good flow throughout the album, with vulnerability and honesty throughout the album. I also think it allows each member of the band to shine and show up their personal sound, giving the album an individual feel while staying cohesive. Overall, I would give the album a 4/5.

‘Everyone’s A Star!’ - An Album That Flows