Fall Out Boy Is Back
It’s hard to believe but Fall Out Boy has been around for over twenty years. Since forming in 2001 the band has gone on to release seven studio albums and become globally recognized. They quickly established a strong and dedicated fanbase that has followed them over the years. Recently, the band started to tease that something was coming. There was speculation on what the announcement could be, and in January, it was revealed that new music was on the way. But new music wasn’t the only thing to be announced…
Along with the announcement of of two new singles, Fall Out Boy will be releasing their eighth studio album. Titled So Much (for) Stardust, the album is set to drop March 24th. The first single to release was titled Love From The Other Side. Excitement grew in the days leading up to the release. On January 18th the song and video were released. Many longtime fans noted how the song was reminiscent of their 2008 album Folie à Deux. Upon looking at the production notes, Neal Avron will be one of the main producers of the new album, who last worked with FOB on Folie. While there are similarities, don’t be mistaken, this new era of Fall Out Boy isn’t a copy of something they’ve done in the past.
Fall Out Boy has hinted that the Stardust era isn’t going to be like anything that same before it, and not just musically. On the day the album was announced, founding guitarist Joe Trohman announced his temporary departure from the band. His statement explained that his mental health has been suffering and he needs to step away for the time being.
Days before the official release, Fall Out Boy performed at Metro in Chicago. They performed as a trio and performed Love From The Other Side. On release day, and with Joe confirming his departure, the now trio performed on Jimmy Kimmel. They officially launched their new era to the public, and a week later, the second single would be released.
Heartbreak Feels So Good was met with just as much fanfare as the first single. Fans flocked to streaming services upon the release to be the first to hear what this new song will be. While the overall reaction to the song was positive, a glitch with streaming services brought a different type of attention to the release.
Fans who listened to the song within its first hour of release noticed something off. On different streaming services the title of the song hadn’t updated when the song became available. For these early fans, the song was titled ‘Track 2’. This mishap found its way to social media where it became a meme and earned the attention of the band. The title was quickly changed, but not before FOB created a limited-edition t-shirt sporting a song list that included ‘Track 2’ on the back.
Each song was released alongside an accompanying music video. The first release for Love From The Other Side had viewers taken on a fantastical journey with big bad wolves and magic. Heartbreak Feels So Good began with a cameo from Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo that turned into a chase through the streets of L.A. While this video wasn’t as fantastical in production as the first, it did carry a similar theme of a journey. There are many things these journeys could symbolize: the band’s career thus far, the change they are facing with Joe’s departure, or maybe the tour they would announce days after announcing the album.
After last summer’s Hella Mega Tour (which featured FOB, Green Day, and Weezer), Fall Out Boy are set to start on their latest tour ‘So Much For (Tour) Dust’, June 21st. This is the first solo tour the band has done post-COVID, with their last solo tour being in 2018 for their album Mania. With the performances we’ve seen so far (I did not think I’d be seeing Pete stage dive in 2023), there’s no doubt that these shows will not be something to miss.
As a longtime fan of Fall Out Boy, I’m excited to see what this new era will be. They’ve had so many evolutions, the sky is the limit on what we’ll see. While we wait for the new album to drop, check out the playlist below to hear some of FOB’s biggest hits, as well as some of my personal favorites.
