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thats-the-teen-spirit · 1 year

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Fall Out Boy - So Much For Stardust song-by-song review

I'm just gonna start this by being completely honest: since MANIA was released, I haven't been interested in any Fall Out Boy songs because I was that disappointed by that album. To my surprise when they released the first singles of SMFS they sounded pretty good, but they still weren't enough to get me hyped, I even forgot that the album was to come out today until I got the notification

Well, this opinion changed instantly when I listened through the whole record. This might even be one of the best albums of the year for me already. But let's not get that ahead this early. Here's what I think song by song.

01. Love From The Other Side

The first single the band released off the album and conveniently the opening track starts with a dreamy piano+string intro which then explodes into a surprising rock riff that is very reminiscent of the earlier FOB records. So much so that when I first heard it I thought it was a B-Side from Folie A Deux or something. But no, it was a well-written pop punk banger with a great hook in the chorus that was a 2022 release (as a single). The music video is also hilarious with old man Pete telling a tale and the band wearing dumb costumes and having countless references to older FOB videos. Nostalgia factor 10/10.

02. Heartbreak Feels So Good

The second single and the second song starts with an intro that scared me a little when I first heard it. Not because it was spooky but because it had a little late 2010's dancehall feeling to it that I really hoped the music industry had grown out of already. But as soon as the drums and later the guitars arrive everything suddenly made sense. The post-chorus ooh-s reminded me a little to the MANIA era but they weren't as jarring as I expected. Sounded very poppunk again, similarly to the older FOB albums. The line: "I’d never go, I just want to be invited" is one that I think every introvert like me can relate to which is a nice touch in the song. The music video has Rivers Cuomo in it which made the song even better for me as a huge Weezer fan.

03. Hold Me Like a Grudge

Now this was what I expected from a newer Fall Out Boy single. Despite being only the first single that was released today, same day as the album itself, if I heard the full album for the first time, I would've guessed this was the first single. It's really dance-y, borderline annoyingly. The yeah-yeahs reminded me a little of Michael Jackson's highs that brought a little soul vibe to the whole song. Also although the song has distorted guitars in it, I wouldn't call this one a rock song, more like a funky, dance-y, disco pop banger which happens to be played by a whole rock band. The lyrics are really good in this one, seems like the boys found the right pen again because lines such as: "And I guess I'm getting older cause I'm less pissed When I can't get onto the guest list" or "Part time soulmate, full time problem" seem way less cringy than "I'll stop wearing black when they make a darker color" for example. Overall this one is a great song but if you want the emo version of FOB, you might not like it.

04. Fake Out

The fourth track starts off really reminiscent of the 00's, this one is a calmer, "sad but i'm dancing anyway" type of song. The verse riff to me sounds like a blink-182 song, similar to Bored to Death or What's My Age Again with the clean guitars, it really seems like this one was written to pay respects to the band's roots. The lyrics in this are on point again, the opening line of the chorus: "Love is in the air, I just gotta figure out a window to break" is again really quotable, and Patrick's vocal performance singing the high notes is perfect as usual. The elder emos who liked FOB from Infinity On High might enjoy this song a lot.

05. Heaven, Iowa

The first more of a power ballad on the album starts very pop-ish, so the listener doesn't know what to expect until the second chorus hits. Patrick again shows his incredible range, and in the second chorus the guitars and the drums follow him on his journey to the highest of highs. It's honestly one of the more annoyingly catchy songs for me on the album, by the time the last chorus hit I was ready to scream: SCAR... CROSSED... LOVERS... FOREVER. There's even a spicy guitar solo/lick at the end that adds to the whole power ballad feeling.

06. So Good Right Now

If you want a really retro sounding, almost rockabilly song to dance to then look no further. This song also screams both Infinity On High and Folie A Deux to me. The chorus is a little repetitive, it's like it's purposely trying to convince you that the singer is feeling soooo good right now. Maybe this is an obvious contradiction that just flew over my head. There's also a lot of woah-s and yeah-s which add to this feeling of repetitiveness. Overall I think this one, despite sounding really retro, a forgettable song for me.

07. The Pink Seashell (feat. Ethan Hawke)

This one is an interesting spoken word interlude between the (seemingly) happiest and the biggest sounding songs on the record: Ethan Hawke's guest appearence from the movie Reality Bites where his character speaks about enjoying life despite its hardships. Honestly this interlude hit me way harder than it should've. There's not much to say, if you're a 90's movie fan, you probably know this whole monologue, if not then prepare the tissues 'cause you're about to be sad.

08. I Am My Own Muse

As previously mentioned, this one is easily the biggest sounding song on the whole record. The first intrumental section really shows how good songwriters the boys in the band are. There's a sting section, a brass secion, accompanied by the heavy sounding muted guitars are just amazingly well put together. I recommend listening to this one with good sounding headphones. The melody in the verses also similar to 40's and 50's love songs with the melody ending on a lower note. I feel like this song pays homage to these huge movie soundtracks and scores that were in the classic movies back then.

09. Flu Game

Surprise, surprise, another dance-y sounding piece. This one just blatantly tells you that there was a heartbreak and the singer of the song doesn't need to count on them or anyone anymore. I don't know if just because of the danciness or because of the production but Flu Game has major Folie A Deux vibes for me. I also like the ear allegory between Mike Tyson and Van Gogh. Sometimes I love FOB because of these clever lyrical comparisons and not because of the melodies, and this one belongs to that category.

10. Baby Annihilation

Despite the title sounding like a deathcore album, this one is just a short spoken word interlude by Pete Wentz himself, the first one since 20 Dollar Nose Bleed apparently. It doesn't hit as hard for me as the Ethan Hawke one but if you like Wentz' lyricism you might even enjoy this little break between songs. It's a disappointed yearning for something better and that's pretty much all it wants to say.

11. The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years)

If you liked Save Rock And Roll, this song might be for you. The Na-Na-Na's bring that feeling to this song, the instrumental is not as pop rock-ishly heavy as in the other songs. I also like the melody before the bridge a lot, it's very pop punk. I don't think this one will become a hit but the diehard fans of the band will still enjoy this song a lot.

12. What a Time To Be Alive

We pretty much paid homage to every decade now, of course the 80's won't be an exception. The drums in the beginning sounded a little like Mary On A Cross by Ghost to me and the riff is also reminiscent of that kind of music. But again, the melody and the production also reminded me to Papa Don't Preach by Madonna so I don't know what to think anymore. The song's groove is similar to the Madonna song as well. The lyrics are clearly written about the lockdown era and how we were waiting for the apocalypse to happen. The song is vibey and happy but the lyrics are probably the darkest so far. To add to the 80's feeling there's even a harmonized guitar solo in the end. Great piece, I really enjoyed this one.

13. So Much (for) Stardust

And the cherry on top, as mentioned in the previous song, the title track of the album. The piano intro sounds very soul-ish to me which compliments Patrick's voice. Then we get a Save Rock'n Roll type of ballad chorus which is completely expected for a Fall Out Boy closing track but the real cherry on top is something else. Around 3 minutes there's a reprise of the first song of the album which hasn't happened in Fall Out Boy songs since What A Catch, Donnie on Folie A Deux. When I heard the callback for the first time I gasped "No Shit" to myself because that was such a cheap but great solution by the band that I didn't know was still in them. Pretty much the best closure since What A Catch, Donnie. Absolute perfection

So here it is, I didn't think I would enjoy a FOB record in 2023, but here we are. This album is perfect for elder emos' nostalgia boner but also a fresh take on how pop rock/mainstream pop punk should sound in the current year, embracing the nostalgia. The record is amazing for the early spring weather, I listened to it during a long walk by myself, I'd recommend you to do the same. Easily will be among the albums of the year for me personally.

#fall out boy #so much (for) stardust #so much for stardust #emo #pop punk #elder emos rejoice #fob #album review #review #long post #new album

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