Released on Nov. 14th, EVERYONE’S A STAR! comes as 5SOS’s sixth album in fourteen years. Since gracing the radio with lyrics like “she looks so perfect standing there in my American Apparel underwear," the band has done much maturing, experimenting with different sounds and strengthening their lyrical abilities to detail more, well, poetic observations. After years of musical tweaks and trial and error, EVERYONE’S A STAR! is the band in a perfect sonic state. 

The album serves as a testimonial to the dangers of stardom. It is dark and edgy, utilising exaggerations and flashy, over-the-top imagery to fully send the message that fame is a drug and its side effects are deadly. The members are honest, unveiling ugly truths and deconstructing any idealized vision of stardom that the listener may have. If there’s anyone you should trust to speak on the matter, it should be the guys who were barely eighteen years old selling out Wembley Stadium with One Direction. 

The opening and title track sounds unlike anything that the band has released previously. Its synth and drum-heavy sound encapsulates a hazy neon sensation of half-conscious exhaustion mixed with the rush of being a performer. "Numbing of the heart, strobe lights and broken speakers." It feels like you’re viewing the story in first-person. There is something that feels a bit sinister about the track, but that is exactly what the band wants you to think. Having your whole life on display is not comfortable. Promoting yourself as a stage character is not comfortable. That is the album’s prevailing declaration. 

That same feeling spills over into the next song, the album’s lead single, “NOT OK,” though it manifests in a different form. Whereas "EVERYONE’S A STAR!" was downtrodden, "NOT OK" is a high. It almost overwhelms the senses– in a good way. It is highly energized and daring, beckoning the listener to “bite the apple” and give into the hedonistic lifestyle that has been adopted through the pursuit and procurement of fame. You can do anything as a celebutante, and this song makes the audience feel like they’re part of that exclusive definition as well. It’s 4D storytelling. 

EVERYONE’S A STAR! is an album that is highly, highly aware of itself, and nowhere is that better expressed than in "Boyband." It’s a label that 5SOS has vocally opposed throughout their career, preferring to be associated more with the rock scene than the dancing boys with headsets scene. By declaring themselves to be "your favorite boyband," they are not hanging their heads in defeat. It’s a song that’s quite full of itself in a very cynically prideful sort of way. The public eye does not see the group in the way they want to be seen, but at least they’re being seen. "Make that monkey dance;" all they are is entertainment for somebody else.

Your head can only stay in the clouds for so long, and the comedown is harsh. "I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again," "istillfeelthesame," and "Ghost" are a string of songs that humanize the band after the larger-than-life persona fades away. To those familiar with 5SOS’s older music, these tracks evoke a nostalgic feeling. "I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again," in particular, is grounding. It’s a longing for a past love, something to cure the sleepless, skin-crawling agony that’s being lived through. It’s a lot gentler on the ears than most of EVERYONE’S A STAR!, along with "Ghost," whose soft spoken lyrics and tender instrumentals result in the album’s most beautifully executed song. 

"Sick of Myself" presents a sound that the band seems incredibly comfortable in. The upbeat, cheery instrumentation paired with lyrics like "wish I could walk a mile out of my shoes" and "can’t look myself in the eyes" create the dichotomy between the pressures and the pleasures of being a celebrity. Altogether, it is nothing that comes off as forced or out of character for 5 Seconds of Summer. The entire album toys with irony, but this song allows the personality of the band to shine through more so than any other. Don’t get distracted, though; it is still a desperate cry to be freed from fame’s shackles. 

By the time the listener reaches "Evolve" and "The Rocks," the messaging feels like overkill. We get it, being famous sucks. But the band doesn’t have the option to pause or skip like the fan does. This is their reality, and by being consumers of their product, we’ve signed on to take a dip into it. Neither song is bad– far from it, actually– but you do feel trapped a little bit. The question of "when are you gonna grow up?" is repeated throughout "Evolve," furthering the idea that the band is infantilized, both by themselves and by the many eyes observing them. 

"Jawbreaker" is a calm closing to an otherwise chaotic album. It feels like a star gone supernova; the album ends in an explosion of light. There’s a stark difference between “Jawbreaker” and the opening song, "EVERYONE’S A STAR!" We entered the album as a confused cluster of nerves, but we parted from it at peace. A smiling resolution. How beautiful. 

When your image is everywhere, you can’t find yourself anywhere. EVERYONE’S A STAR! is deeply personal and vulnerable. 5SOS may have relied on extravagant, glorified details to tell the story, but it should be perceived more as a warning about a cautionary tale. The band opened up in a way that they haven’t previously in their music, and it certainly helps listeners, both old and new, gain a deeper understanding of them. Fame may have detached them from themselves, but– in the same irony that much of the album was produced with– they have never sounded more complete.