On Everyone’s a Star!, 5 Seconds of Summer Will Be Your New Favorite Boy Band

Do you remember your favorite boy band?

On 5 Seconds of Summer’s latest album, Everyone’s a Star!, the Australian pop-rock band frequently nods to the “boy band” label thrust upon them early in their career—thanks to their stint as an opening act for One Direction in 2014. While the album’s marketing played into the cheekier angle of the moniker, Star itself delves into the darker side of being every teenager’s heartthrob. On the second single “Boyband,” the pre-chorus sings “Stay young, love me till I get it wrong / Make me the flavor of the week / Now I only feel alive when you’re lookin’ at me,” a nod to the life cycle of fame in the digital age: a meteoric rise to the top of the algorithm in the blink of an eye, followed by an even faster fall from grace at the slightest misstep.

While other tracks like lead single “NOT OK” and the titular “Everyone’s a Star!” may not reference fame as explicitly, they also recount the invincible highs felt by people who skyrocket to the spotlight at a young age—and the consequent crushing lows. Album track “The Rocks,” with a repeating chorus of “Throw myself onto the rocks / to make you feel less alone,” appears to be about the toxic relationship between celebrity and fan, particularly the harms of continuously pouring your heart and pain into your art. “Boyband” and “Evolve,” ruminations on the ill-advised cocktail of adolescent immaturity and fame, still manage to mix in humor and toe-tapping grooves.

But don’t let the heavy lyrical content fool you–Star is filled with hits. The aforementioned “NOT OK” and “Everyone’s a Star!” are bona fide anthems made to be screamed along to in arenas. Sonically, the album is a blend of the pop-rock that 5SOS (as they are colloquially known) cut their teeth on and more mellow, indie-pop influences. Fans pointed out that “I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again,” for example, would fit right in on a The 1975 album. 

Star, however, shines brightest when 5SOS return to their roots. Along with reflections on their old boy-band label, there is a nostalgic vibe to its sound, taking me back to listening to those early tracks in my middle-school bedroom (“She Looks So Perfect” still slaps). 

Like most growing adolescents, I look back on that version of myself with fondness–and a healthy amount of cringe–for how she shaped me into the person I am today. With similar reflections on the past in Star, 5SOS grapples with their evolution, from the growing pains to the good times.

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Grace Copps is a senior in the College majoring in Government and minoring in Journalism and Justice and Peace Studies. She is Co-Commentary Section Editor for the INDY.