It's finally happened. The long awaited eighth record from prolific rock and pop punk band Fall Out Boy has been released. The past two singles, Love From the other Side and Heartbreak Feels Good have built up so much hype surrounding this record, with the band claiming they were going back to a time where they made music they wanted to make, filling a theoretical gap in their timeline between 2008's Foile A Deux and 2016's Save Rock and Roll. What if they had never gone on hiatus? In any sense, So Much (For) Stardust is a triumphant return to form for the Chicago four piece - here's my track by track breakdown and review for this brand new record:
(So Much (For) Stardust Album Cover 2023)
1."Love from the Other Side"4:39 - We already know how I feel about this track, it was released as one of the singles for this record and started the immense hype train for this album. It's such a huge return to the Fall Out Boy fans remember. Guitar heavy, perfectly put together, and packed with enough Pete Wentz lyricism and Patrick Stump melody to kill someone three times over, Love from the Other Side marked such a triumphant return for the band that it only feels necessary that it's the opener. All parts explosive, grand and emotional, this song is nothing but perfection for the Fall Out Boy enthusiast.
2."Heartbreak Feels So Good"3:37 - A more electric based beat underpins the second track, and having been able to listen to it a few times, I've fallen in love with this song. It's another great example of the mindset that unpins this record, they've got one foot in the door of the old ways, and another in the new. You get flavours of so many past projects, Foile, MANIA, but it's all underpinned by the classic sound of driving drums and wailing guitar riffs. With some more killer lyrics and a bassline that finally let's Pete Wentz strut his stuff, it's a recipe that makes something really special. And Patrick's vocals? Wow. The man ages like a fine fucking wine.
3."Hold Me Like a Grudge"3:35 - Talk about bassline, holy shit. This song moves around the really bouncy riff from Wentz. More great crunchy guitar, playful drums and amazing falsetto and vibrato, this song would feel at home in Infinity On High. It's so classic Fall Out Boy, and if you've seen the music video, it makes this song so much better. Also, lyrics? Come on man, this song is written so fucking well, 'part time soulmate, full time problem'? Holy shit. It's full of some amazing breakdowns, some pre chorus genius, and as always that signature attack and drive we expect. Another absolute highlight.
4."Fake Out"3:29 - Now this one is so far removed from the last few tracks in the best way, based around strummed guitars and an easy drum beat, this song is more of a slow banger. I know what your thinking, 'what? No! We want more drive!' but actually this song makes u for it's slow burning chorus and wailing synth lead with some brilliant lyrics and a vocal performance to die for from Stump. It's got some brilliant swing to it, and has your head bobbing along, until you hear 'or do I still need more therapy?'. There's a lot more to this song than just the cheerful exterior, and that can be said for the rest of this record. It's certainly got layers.
5."Heaven, Iowa"3:56 - Okay, I'm going to be a little biased when I talk about Heaven Iowa, because it's one of my favourites on this record. An atmospheric and building song, arranged by the razor sharp eye of Patrick Stump, this song is proof that Fall Out Boy are still kings of rock atmosphere. This feels more like a rock opera track, like a character is screaming this into the nothingness. The song then grows a little more, a little choral section, a ticking beat in the background, an emerging bassline and tom-centric drum fill. Then, boom. Into the chorus. It gives me goosebumps every goddamn time. It slams straight into the most impactful, slamming rock chorus that goes as soon as it shows its head, filled with guitar and hard hitting drums, it's sheer perfection. It's so Save Rock and Roll in it's creation, but that drumline is straight from Take This To Your Grave. What a song.
6."So Good Right Now" (co-writer: Robert Byrd)2:58 - Now this one I wasn't expecting. It's another seemingly cheerful one, with some brilliant surf guitar and easy drum beat. It seems like a little head bopping stop off at a little island of cheerfulness. It really showcases Patrick Stump's vocal range, throwing himself from his usual soul voice, straight up into his extreme high range. Another convention this record loves to set up is the dichotomy between expectation and reality. A song about feeling good is actually about feeling good, but knowing it's going to go away. The title can be read to ways, 'wow, so much stardust!' or 'oh wow, so much for stardust.' Thematic genius.
7."The Pink Seashell" (featuring Ethan Hawke; co-writer: Hawke)1:02 - It might just be an interlude, but it's one you have to hear. The speech is heavy hitting, a great snippet from one of the most amazing actors of our generation, but it also explains a lot more about this record. Remember when they were teasing the song names inside the pink seashells? Yup, it's another piece of brilliant commentary, does any of this shit really matter?
8."I Am My Own Muse"3:45 - Now this, this is an absolute masterpiece of a song, and I wont let anyone tell me any different. This song sounds like it's been made with a full orchestra, with blaring horns and strings accompanying some brilliant crunchy guitar and splashy drums. It's an impactful track, seemingly drawing on the suffering during the pandemic and a feeling of hopelessness. I had to be my own muse because I couldn't see anyone else! It's reflected so well in Stump's sultry vocal delivery in the verses, before smashing into the excellent chorus. Holy shit this track is special, it's got some brilliant rise and fall, and once again feels like a rock opera track, this could be a musical. Honestly a 10/10 track.
9."Flu Game"3:38 - This one is underpinned by yet another brilliant bassline, before hitting a brilliant chorus full of some really stunning harmony from Stump. It's another song that laments on the past, that feels introspective at it's core, but cheery on its outside, and hits just as hard as the other songs that do this so so well on this record. It was an undeniable swing to it, I can just imagine Patrick recording this and clicking his finger theatrically as he goes. It's yet another testament to their song writing talent, as well as their versatility. Yeah Fall Out Boy can do swing, amongst but not limited to orchestral, rock, metal, screamo and believe it or not, soul. This band is literally the Swiss army knife of their field, and god do they show it.
10."Baby Annihilation"1:07 - Now, although the title took me back a little, this one is a Pete Wentz special. A monologue built between seemingly his incoherent and fragmented lyrics. Set to a background of twinkly keys and synths, we get a little peek into Wentz's frame of mind, and it's actually quite profound, and quite beautiful. After all, 'Time is luck, and I wish ours overlapped more or for longer'.
11."The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years)"3:55 - I like this song, it feels like a look into Pete's years of substance abuse. It has a semantic field of drug use and medication, so I like how it feels like a song that celebrates being sober, and knowing that those years were fleeting, but also a lesson. Maybe there's some form of yearning in it, wishing for the emptiness, the lack of complexity when he got high, but knowing life is all the better for being sober. It's set to some really nice muted guitar and an easy going drum beat that makes this song a nice and easy listen where the lyrics can really speak for themselves. Beautifully simple, pefectly heartfelt, what a song.
12."What a Time to Be Alive"3:42 - Okay, this one is a bit of a curveball, but oh my god wow. Set to some amazing string sections, yet another brilliant bassline and some really nice clean drums. It's a song that plays itself in two halves, it feels as if the band are touching on the fact that life post Covid has been insane, but they're nonetheless grateful to be doing what they love. Serotonin is also a common theme for this record, and that makes sense post covid, we all need a bit of it, and we kind of grabbed what we could during the Pandemic. There's also a brilliant little guitar solo in this song that is so slickly played by Joe Trohman I had to go back and listen a couple times. A great little song, not my favourite, but nonetheless brilliant.
13."So Much (for) Stardust"4:51 - As closers go, this song is the perfect one for this album. It's full of suspense, relying on the orchestral sound that they've had running through this record, but also unashamedly mixes it with their own distinctive sound, with some brilliant slamming drums and beautifully toned guitar. The lyrics take yet another inward dive, seemingly depicting Wentz' struggle with bipolar disorder, and touching once more on the themes of duality. A real highlight of this song is the repetition of the lyrics from Love from the Other Side. We haven't seen something like this since Foile and What A Catch Donnie, and it's an amazing experience to hear for the first time, let alone the third or fourth listen. As the choir begin to fade away, repeating the name of the track, you're left with an experience unlike anything else, and something I'm calling the best ending to a record I've ever fucking heard.
(Fall Out Boy - Image courtesy of The Upcoming)
Overall: I know I'm coming into this with a bias, in that I love Fall Out Boy, I think everything they do is pretty amazing, even hailing MANIA as an over hated album that I think shows a lot of really awesome potential -but I think even to the most far removed listener this record is an absolute show stopper. It's full of what made this band blow up, aggressive drums and guitar set to some cutting lyricism, but it also grows that sound, bringing a maturity to this one. It's about pain, sure, and has enough emo in it to send any goth into a coma, but it does so with razor sharp precision, and a slickness to it that you can't help but appreciate. Although sometimes I think the tracks could use a little more pace, I can hardly fault this record. Overall then, what more can I say than Fall Out Boy are fucking back. In a big way.
Rating: 9.5/10
Highlights - Love from the Other Side, Hold me Like a Grudge, Heaven, Iowa, I Am My Own Muse, So Much (For) Stardust
(Please go give this record a listen, front to back. Find somewhere comfy, put on some headphones, and just hear it. I promise you won't be disappointed.)
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