Fall Out Boy is Back

By Cal Hushka
Music Journalist

Anyone have that on their 2023 bingo card? After two years of silence from the Chicago band, Fall Out Boy released a cryptic claymation video on December 25th, 2022 (Merry Christmas?). The near end of this teaser video features an instrumental of what would be the first single of their new album, So Much (For) Stardust. “Love From The Other Side” was the first single released January 18th, 2023 along with a music video, and an album announcement. The music video features the band using instruments as weapons to defeat evil red eyed wolves. Bassist Pete Wentz comments how guitarist Joe Trohman was turned into a giant raccoon, possibly to explain his absence from the video. Prior, Trohman made a statement that he would be stepping back from the band to recover and prioritize his mental health.

“Love From The Other Side” includes lyrical references to previous songs like in the bridge, the line:

“Inscribed like stone and faded by the rain: ‘Give up what you love/ Give up what you love before it does you in…”’

Compared to the bridge from their 2007 song, “Bang The Doldrums”

“The tombstones were waiting/ They were half engraved/ They knew it was over/ Just didn’t know the date”

The second single, “Heartbreak Feels So Good” was released January 25th, also along with a music video. The music video features a cameo from Rivers Cuomo, frontman of Weezer, as the band, including singer Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, and drummer Andy Hurley, fail to kidnap him. In the dialogue before the song begins, the band takes a nod at guitarist Joe Trohman’s absence as a soft synth intro fades in. The video continues with go-pro footage of fight scenes, a robbery, chase scenes and even an interrupted cult meeting, and ends with a facetime call appearance of guitarist Joe Trohman. This second single also includes clear lyrical references to previous works, for example in the verse, Stump sings:

“It was an uphill battle/ But they didn’t know/ but they didn’t know/ We were gonna use the roads as a ramp to take off”

This line parallels to their song “Alone Together”, off their fifth studio album Save Rock and Roll:

“This is the road to ruin, and we’re starting at the end”

This much anticipated album is the first fans have heard from the band since a short hiatus during COVID-19, as the band had remained relatively inactive until the announcement of “Love From The Otherside.” However, Fall Out Boy fans are far too familiar with the band’s tendency to go on hiatus. There was a previous stint in 2010-2012 between albums, Folie à Deux, and the comeback, Save Rock and Roll. The previous release of their seventh studio album MANIA, the band received mixed reviews, mostly by being by far the most experimental album in sound and style. Though, with the two singles released so far from So Much (For) Stardust, the band’s future direction seems much more nostalgic for their older sound. The singles are more guitar driven with a distinct rock instrumental at which I am honestly excited for.

So Much (For) Stardust is set to release March 24, 2023.