“What happened to Fall Out Boy?” is a question that comes to mind when thinking of the Chicago-born band as many fans listen to their newer releases hoping for a retreat back to their pop-punk roots that were once so familiar. But alas, Fall Out Boy has sold out and gone from a pop-punk band to pretty much completely dropping the “punk” from their genre in order to please the millions and fit in among the crowd.
Fall Out Boy’s seventh studio album, “Mania,” was released on Jan. 19 and speaks pretty true to the aforementioned statement. This album is so many things that FOB is not. So many different sounds are mixed into the 35 minutes of your life that this album takes up. It’s completely overwhelming. While it’s fun to hear all the different sounds they’re experimenting with, it’s a bit too much. From EDM to reggae to pop to pop punk, “Mania” takes you on an unfulfilling journey that’s stressful more than enjoyable.
The first track of the album and the song that was used as a teaser for the album when the single was released in April 2017, “Young and Menace,” is utterly confusing — especially for those who were loyal fans of FOB in the past. With a beat that reaches into the arena of an EDM song, bass drop and all, this song is… something. Although the rest of the album doesn’t sound quite like this, it could definitely drive someone away from wanting to listen to the album in the first place. “Champion,” the second track, was a radio single that got a lot of traction on the airwaves. The song, co-written by Sia who is known for her song, “Chandelier,” sounds 100 percent written to be played on the radio, as it’s pretty much like every other pop song on the market. It feels like something created just to bring Fall Out Boy’s name back before the release of the album and to hype “Mania” up, pushing FOB into the pop music market.
“All my childhood heroes have fallen off or died” is a line off of the third track, “Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea.” This line rings true to many FOB fans as many considered the band members to be their childhood heroes, and now they have fallen off and into the mainstream pop crowd, selling out and moving on. Perhaps one of the only songs on “Mania” that sounds like a step back in the right direction for Fall Out Boy, “Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea,” sounds like a mix of some of their older songs with a more modern flair — mixing their old pop-punk vibe with a newer electronic feel and real instruments with synths. A refreshing mix, but still more pop than pop-punk.
While the album isn’t all bad, it’s certainly more “eh” than anything else. Some of the songs are actually enjoyable to listen to and the production value is great — but when you used to be a die hard Fall Out Boy fan in the past, nothing will ever match up to “From Under The Cork Tree” or “Infinity On High.” My childhood heroes have fallen off and I’m hoping for them to find their ground.
