“I’ve lived so much life” lead singer Patrick
Stump croons in the opening minute of the new Fall Out Boy track, ‘Young and
Menace’. It’s true, the Chicago-born, pop-punk band formed in 2001 and with six
(soon to be seven) studio albums under their belt, have certainly left their
mark during their long tenure on the music scene.
It’s been over two years since the four-piece released their last album,
‘American Beauty/American Psycho’, which saw their post-hiatus success continue
after 2013’s ‘Save Rock and Roll’. Since their return, the veterans of pop-punk
have been no strangers to mixing up their sound. ‘Save Rock and Roll’ saw the rebirth
of the band with them curating a sound that mixed the classic energy of their
pop-punk days with the modern, radio-appropriate pop. ‘American Beauty/American
Psycho’ continued their musical renaissance, exploring their new sound further
with psychedelic hip-hop grooves injected into their heavy guitar riffs. The
payoff was trippy, chaotic and exciting. In the same year, they released ‘Make
America Psycho Again’, their first remix album which saw them feature a
different rapper on each track and subsequently give more fluidity to their
comeback sound. The album also saw an experimentation of production, something
that they seem to be carrying over into this newly begun era.
The first single from their forthcoming album, ‘M A N I A’ dropped after
cryptically tweeting a series of purple pictures in the run up to April 27. The
track came ready with an accompanying video that looks like Where the Wild Things Are as
a horror movie. Featuring monstrous costumed animals and an underlying domestic
abuse narrative, the music video signals the darker turn that Fall Out Boy’s
music is taking. The verses showcase Stump’s signature soulful voice, offering
structure that is immediately disturbed by the frantic, EDM influenced chorus.
As the beat drops, the track takes a turn to emulate the frenzied surreality of
the visuals. Stumps vocals are dissected and stitched up with electro-driven beats
and some serious erratic pitch editing. The effect is certainly different from
their ‘Infinity on High’ days for example, but it follows the obvious
progression that their music has been taking for the last few years.
It’s refreshing to see that a band who were so
known for a signature sound, can experiment with their music 16 years down the
line. It would be easy to cater to the dedicated fans and critics and make a
return to their heyday by writing ‘Sugar, We’re Goin Down’ 2.0 and, from the
reactions to the new single thus far it would appear that this was the hope for
many. But Fall Out Boy are continuing to make music suitable for the mainstream
without selling out.
If by the line, ‘Oops, I did it again’ (an
interesting reference to Britney Spears), they mean they’ve put out another
incredible hit, then I would certainly have to agree.
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