“I will never ask you for anything, except to dream sweet of me.”
After all these years, there continues to be no other band quite like Fall Out Boy.
Managing to sit in that really sweet spot between scene sweethearts and a genuine global phenomenon, having a new album in 2023 met with such fevered anticipation and awe is a testament to their legacy and the generation-bridging power of their songwriting. And when that new album is as joyous, sentimental, dramatic and utterly fantastic as this, then there is even more reason to celebrate.
So Much (For) Stardust is the first release of their third decade of existence, following 2018’s MANIA, an expansive effort that perhaps pushed a little too far for some but will most definitely receive its flowers in the future. And in the aftermath, those who doubted what Patrick, Pete, Joe and Andy were capable of this time will have surely eaten their words when this new era kicked off in style via “Love From The Other Side”. A pristine and poetic piece of flowery pop-punk with those quintessential catchy FOB hooks that cling to you like tar, there’s an air of From Under The Cork Tree to its sentiment. But this isn’t a record that reflects past successes and tries replicating the sound. It’s a smorgasbord of everything that has defined them at each milestone in their career and so much more.
There’s the driving swagger of “Hold Me Like A Grudge” next to the smile-inducing sunshine of “So Good Right Now”. The grand sweeping strings and affirmations of “I Am My Own Muse” rub shoulders with the modern pop intensity of “Heaven, Iowa”. There’s Folie A Deux-style theatre in the folds of “Flu Game” and Save Rock And Roll-esque funk coating “What A Time To Be Alive”. Every song is as playful as the last, with no stone left unturned and every avenue thoroughly explored.
Though what the record truly represents for Fall Out Boy can be found at the centre of “The Pink Seashell”, a transcendent interlude featuring Ethan Hawke’s life-affirming monologue from the 1994 movie Reality Bites. A reminder that the things in life that truly matter are the little details that add such radiant colour. “A quarter pounder with cheese….the sky about ten minutes before it starts to rain. The moment where your laughter becomes a cackle,” Ethan states, but don’t let the joys of life stop there. Dance like no one is watching. Stay out so late that you get to see the sunrise. Order the extra-large shake and truffle fries. Listen to music that makes your soul scream out in euphoria. We are all here for just a few seconds in the grand scheme of things, so enjoy it all while it lasts.
Fall Out Boy are enjoying themselves. There’s no doubt about that. And with So Much (For) Stardust, they have delivered another show-stealing epic that will soundtrack the best life living of millions. And isn’t that just amazing?
Buy it, Stream it, or Skip it?: Buy it. Buy it. Treasure it. Love it for the rest of your days.
You can catch Fall Out Boy on tour with Bring Me The Horizon, as well as Alkaline Trio, New Found Glory, Four Year Strong, The Academy Is..., Royal & The Serpent, Games We Play, Daisy Grenade and Carr at select shows this June, July and August.
