Australian pop-rock band 5 Seconds of Summer (5SOS) marked their return this week with a new single, “Not OK,” and a free surprise concert in West Hollywood, signaling the start of a fresh chapter three years after their last album.
The four-piece—Luke Hemmings, Michael Clifford, Calum Hood, and Ashton Irwin—released “Not OK” on September 24, their first original track since 2022’s 5SOS5. Hours later, they staged an intimate 5 p.m. PDT pop-up show for fans (18 and over) who had signed up through a dedicated link. The crowd was limited, but the message was clear: after solo ventures and months of speculation, 5SOS are back together and looking ahead.
“Not OK” serves as the lead single for the band’s upcoming sixth studio album, Everyone’s a Star! due November 14 via Republic Records. The song barrels forward on a relentless tempo and sharp vocal distortion, carrying both the band’s signature arena-ready energy and their darker, more introspective edge. Luke Hemmings delivers lines like, “Inside every one of us, a shadow side / I call it my better side / I call it the ‘Call me up if you wanna feel better’ side.”
Drummer Ashton Irwin described the track as an ode to the mutual lifeline between the band and their audience. “We can kill our depression together, and we can experience these elevated feelings together,” he said. “You want people feeling free.”
The single follows a long stretch of individual projects: Clifford dropped Sidequest this summer, Hood released Order Chaos Order, while Hemmings and Irwin both unveiled their second solo albums in 2024. Though fans speculated about a breakup when the members pursued separate paths, the group insists their bond remains the engine behind 5SOS.
Irwin noted: “Ashton’s probably been my best friend for 15 years. These guys are my friends not because we’re in a band, we’re in a band because we’re so close. It makes me want to work on those relationships more.”
“Not OK” also reflects the band’s growing willingness to toy with the very label they once resisted. Posters teasing “Your Favorite Boy Band Is Coming Back” appeared worldwide earlier this month, sending fans on a scavenger hunt that ultimately revealed 5SOS’s involvement. The playful campaign folds into the album’s central theme: leaning into the irony of being called a “boy band” while dissecting the anxieties, humor, and contradictions of modern pop stardom.
For 5SOS, who rose to fame as teenagers opening for One Direction, the new era doubles as both satire and reclamation. Hemmings admitted, “We had these very clear characters, you could pick us out from a shadow or draw a caricature of us very easily. I wanted some of that again. What does that look like now?”
Everyone’s a Star! arrives November 14, with “Not OK” now available on streaming platforms. For the fans who gathered in West Hollywood, the surprise show was a reminder of 5SOS’s enduring power as a live act—and a glimpse of what’s to come as the band readies its next chapter.
What do you think of 5SOS’s bold new single and album direction? Share your thoughts with us on X & Instagram—and catch more stories like this on Lyrical Muse.
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