I would consider 5 Seconds of Summer to be one of the very first bands I was ever a true Superfan in every sense of the word. I had multiple fan accounts over the years, wrote fanfiction, genuinely the whole shebang. I’ve seen this band through literally every era, and they’ve been a constant favorite over the years that I keep in my rotation. I grew to love pop rock music largely because of them – they’re a big reason why I gradually began playing electric guitar alongside my beloved acoustic. I’ve been to every tour with the exception of one (which I regret not getting tickets to every passing day) and I’m seeing them twice this summer.
Basically, I really love these guys and the music they make, regardless of era and style as they’ve evolved their sound over time. They feel like close personal friends that I used to have big, stupid crushes on (and maybe I still do. So what if true…). What I’m trying to say here is that they and their music hold a very special place in my heart and this new album is no exception.
EVERYONE’S A STAR! is phenomenal to say the least – I might be super biased because of my long-drawn out history with this band, but I truly mean that. I feel like they went a whole new direction with their sound, look, and overall aesthetic, which honestly did wonders in refreshing their branding. The past three albums before this were amazing as per usual and definitely had their own distinct qualities that made it a different era for each record, but something about the last one before this (5SOS5) honestly felt repetitive to me. The songs were great, don’t get me wrong, but it felt like something they’d touched on before. Familiar territory.
With EVERYONE’S A STAR!, the band ventured into a world of music and fashion and aesthetics that they had never wandered into, at least in terms of the work they had put out publicly so far. It’s so fresh, new, and you can really tell they feel refreshed by the new energy through the music. The first single that dropped from the album before the whole thing came out was “NOT OK” and when I first heard it, I GENUINELY felt insane. It was a completely different sound for them, but it still somehow felt so distinctly THEM. I’m not sure how else to phrase that. But it just made so much sense. Something I think is really great about this record in particular is how #different it feels from their past work but still remaining so true to the 5sos we know and love. I am obsessed with the more electronic alt pop vibe they went for, and how they still managed to keep the individual, manually played instruments at the forefront of their sound as a band.
I know some people were unsure about the direction they were taking, but I don’t know – it just clicked for me, and I was like yeah. This really makes SO MUCH SENSE. And I felt like literally screaming. I still feel crazy about it as I type this and think about listening for the first time. When the entire record came out… guys I was literally insufferable. Not a single skippable track, every single one a banger.
Hearing “I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again” for the first time was a spiritual experience to say the absolutely very least. After listening through the album for the first time all the way through, I immediately returned to that song and looped it for what feels like a million times. I am actually looping it right now as I write this. I really do believe it is the best song they’ve ever made. I do not say that lightly!!! Obviously I love the entire thing, but if I was being held at gunpoint and was asked to name my favorites, my top tracks are “I’m Scared I’ll Never Sleep Again” (obviously), “Jawbreaker”, “Evolve”, and “Telephone Busy”.
This turned out to just be a glazing session for the album (excuse my Gen-Alpha speak, I am also a teacher and I am surrounded by 67 and the like literally every single weekday so it’s bound to enter my vernacular… unfortunate I know), but I don’t know what else to say about it other than please listen if you haven’t yet. I think it’s such a unique record and is so different from anything they’ve ever made while also staying true to their energy and chemistry as a group. And yes, a million times yes, if it wasn’t already clear: I am a Superfan of this freaking album.
Okay. Time to go loop it a million times again. #5SOSFAM4LIFE!!!!
