YOUR FAVOURITE BOYBAND IS BACK with EVERYONE’S A STAR!

Written by: Kate Bucklin| December 12, 2025

pop-punk and bubblegum

Three years after their fifth album, 5SOS5 (also known as The Feeling of Falling Upwards), Australian band 5 Seconds of Summer reunited with EVERYONE’S A STAR!, released on November 14th. The four members, Calum Hood (bass), Ashton Irwin (drums), Luke Hemmings (main vocals), and Michael Clifford (guitar), have all put out albums during the band’s break as part of their respective solo careers, yet EVERYONE’S A STAR! tailors the previous lip-ring-bad-boy aesthetic established in their earlier work and adds lyrical commentary on fangirl groupie culture, the self-destruction that comes with fame, and the mentality associated with feeling like a poser.

“NOT OK,” “Boyband,” and “Telephone Busy” are the first three singles to come from the release, but the promotion for the singles depicts the group in dark, glittery makeup, with oversized heads, and declaring themselves “your favourite boyband.” As the group hosted performances in cities such as Los Angeles and London to promote the album, the presentation seemed to draw inspiration from the aesthetic of a Romance-era Fontaines D.C., featuring long skirts, kilts, neon colors, and dyed hair. To promote the album, the band hosted performances around the world, with the band arriving via and performing on top of a pink limousine for the Los Angeles performance, before performing inside a Barbie-esque plastic box in London weeks later. Both choices were exaggerations of their rockstar and boyband personas. As the four were considered a pop-punk group when they first started, and leaned into mainstream pop with their later releases, the promotion is reminiscent of the darker, Blink-182 inspired edge the band had, and as an acknowledgement of their status in the pop world.

Influences from bands such as Muse and Queens of the Stone Age, as referenced by Ashton Irwin, are clear on the off-beat contrast between the drumming and backing guitar on “The Rocks,” along with pop-punk influences with the high pace of “istillfeelthesame,” but “Evolve,”one of my personal favorites from the release differs from the other songs on the album with a funky bass groove driving the song alongside synths reminiscent of science fiction themes. “Evolve” also leans into the overarching social commentary of the album, as lyrics include, “But I wanna have fun / I wanna get high / I wanna get drunk / When you gonna grow up?” and an interlude referencing how girls may mentally mature sooner than boys to satirize societal expectations for girls to be more responsible at a younger age whereas men are allowed to act immature. “Telephone Busy” also stands out lyrically, and may be the most on-the-nose with commentary, as lyrics include, “Stay young, love me till I get it wrong / Make me the flavour of the week / Now I only feel alive when you’re looking at me (I’m your favourite)” and, “Boy in a boyband, make that monkey dance / Let me see you clap your hands, it’s your favourite (Boyband)” as references to how some pop stars, historically, have been forced to continue performances whilst miserable (as metaphorical dancing monkeys), but the group has also gone on to describe this track as a representation of the objectification they felt as teenagers thrust into newfound fames, and how they were unable to be taken seriously as a result of their boyband status once they were a bit older and no longer the next big thing, an event Irwin referred to as “the curse of Peter Pan.” Additionally, “No. 1 Obsession” continues with this theme, as Luke Hemmings sings, “I’m dying for a little bit of your affection / I’d do anything to be the only one that you think of,” and, “Take me to heaven, kill the depression / Make me your number one obsession,” which has been identified by Ashton Irwin as a commentary on the constant dopamine overload that comes with the common addiction to phones and social media, but also clearly reflects the desperation that the group may have felt earlier on in their careers to maintain a hold on the spotlight.

With EVERYONE’S A STAR!, 5 Seconds of Summer are here to expand beyond their stereotypical boyband image and to recruit a larger, more inclusive fanbase, but regardless if you secretly jam to “She Looks So Perfect” or not, the album offers a wide range of sound that I genuinely think is widely appealing and aesthetically offers one of the best marketing campaigns I’ve seen in years.

tracklist:

  1. Everyone’s A Star!
  2. NOT OK
  3. Telephone Busy
  4. Boyband
  5. No. 1 Obsession
  6. I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again
  7. istillfeelthesame
  8. Ghost
  9. Sick Of Myself
  10. Evolve
  11. The Rocks
  12. Jawbreaker