Welcome to this week’s Band of the Week feature! I’m more than excited to take part as I get to talk about one of my long-time favourite bands, Fall Out Boy. I’ve been a huge fan since they cameoed in a US teen drama about a group of high-school friends from a small town in North Carolina.
Back in the days…
Fall Out Boy formed back in 2001 in Illinois and, after a succession of members, they became the quartet that we all love now: Patrick Stump (lead vocals, piano and guitar), Pete Wentz (bass and backing vocals), Andy Hurley (drums and backing vocals), and Joe Trohman (guitar and backing vocals). The band originated from Chicago’s hardcore punk scene, which can be easily recognised in their first albums.
Who doesn’t remember their emo-punk hits Thnks fr th Mmrs, Dance, Dance, or Sugar, We’re Goin Down? I know I sang and danced to their upbeat tunes and checked all their videos on Youtube. Before their hiatus in 2009, they released a Greatest Hits album with the addition of a cover of Jackson’s track Beat It, giving this legendary song their brand sound and making it recognisable as a FoB song.
The comeback
When they announced their new album Save Rock and Roll in 2013, they released a series of connected videos known as the Young Blood Chronicles.
With hits like The Phoenix and My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light ‘Em Up), they came back with a brand new sound and image, proving that indeed they rose from their ashes like a phoenix. More upbeat and less punk, their style became more modern to reflect the new state of mind. A message from their website stated: “When we were kids the only thing that got us through most days was music. It’s why we started Fall Out Boy in the first place. This isn’t a reunion because we never broke up. We needed to plug back in and make some music that matters to us. The future of Fall Out Boy starts now. Save rock and roll…”
January 2015 saw the release of American Beauty/American Psycho, where songs like Centuries and Immortals show us that Fall Out Boy are once and for all back and here to stay.
Any Fall Out Boy fans out there? What do you think of their new sound?
