Tracks: #TheReturn

The second of two parts on the music of Fall Out Boy and the much-awaited return.

After 2009, the punk-rock/ pop-rock phenomenon that was Fall Out Boy slowly receded into the background, with no trace at all and no indication of an immanent return. A few months after, each one of them had their own solo projects quite apart and different from the project that was Fall Out Boy. Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley joined some of the guys from Anthrax to form a new band called The Damned Things. Patrick Stump, on the other hand, put a lot of effort to trim his body down and craft a new music and therefore a new image, starting by releasing a solo track with Lupe Fiasco, eventually coming up with a new album called Soul Punk. Pete Wentz, at that time married to Ashlee Simpson with a son they peculiarly named Bronx Mowgli, formed electro-pop band The Black Cards.

With all of these lined up to emerge as distinct figures that are extracted from Fall Out Boy without a single trace of it, it seems that there would be no chance of returning. And for most, it seems to be the most bitter ending for the band that has mostly been the part of the life of a teenager of the early 21st century. For them to end like that would be tragic, unfortunate even, to the point that there was no even farewell show or "one last reunion" for them to formally say goodbye to their fans. This has been the general sentiment of those who have stuck it to Fall Out Boy, who at one point have already moved on with their lives.

Well, this was the case... until the news struck the Internet no less than a week ago.

There were those who already had an idea that the four-piece pop-punk/pop-rock band would return, but it was made final when they posted new material over falloutboyrock.com. First, this was what they said:

when we were kids the only thing that got us through most days was music. its 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...

Second, together with such announcement is a new music video entitled "My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark (Light 'Em Up)." The video features a group of people (led by rapper 2Chainz) starting a fire and burning everything which reminds us of Fall Out Boy past, and it ended by featuring four people, presumably Fall Out Boy, tied up with their heads covered. What was portrayed in the video was exactly the same thing the band signaled its return in a bonfire at Comiskey Park, announcing to everyone that they are indeed back and are working on an album to be entitled "Save Rock and Roll."


Many speculations again arose in the release of the video, inquiring whether there is anything symbolic at all from the video itself, or to the particular version of the song that the band uploaded in the Fall Out Boy YouTube channel, or even the presence of 2Chainz and what could be expected on "Save Rock and Roll." But amidst all this, one thing is clear: Fall Out Boy is already back on track.

But perhaps the more relevant question would be: Why? It would only be a few months, years perhaps, before their individual projects could have a claim to fame. Stump's Soul Punk went out pretty decently, while The Black Cards have been working on remixing songs after the departure of their female vocalist Bebe Rexha. What could have possibly gone wrong (or right) that Fall Out Boy decided that it's about damn time that they get themselves together. One could perhaps attribute it to Wentz's divorce with Ashlee Simpson, or Stump's failure to "return" to music after "quitting" as a response to all his bodybuilding habits and its relationship with the kind of music he makes. Or perhaps to the failure of all their solo projects, leaving it necessary to rebuild. Or anything that could have happened with all of them. Then again, one thing is important now: they're all set to release their album come May, and for those who have anything to say for or against them have to wait a few more months before they pass their judgment.

While the world waits, it can only think about this whole decade-long run of the band and realize that there are only two things that stay the same with Pete, Patrick, Joe, and Andy: the incredibly long song titles and the ability to surprise the world with their own ways of twisting their own style, most of the time drastic and even productive. Looking back at it, one can definitely say that this capacity to insert surprising elements into their music is what keeps Fall Out Boy alive and kicking after more than ten years, as the dynamic combination of its four members have always brought something new to the industry more than their usual selves. What they have made for themselves, especially the music more than anything, exceeded expectations, and the results as well as the reception of all their efforts have been nothing but phenomenal, but in such a way that they would never be forgotten. And perhaps it is because of that element of surprise that despite this long, long break, the world still welcomes and embraces Fall Out Boy.

Their return, however, would come clashing not just with the pressure of getting back on track as they were before but also with the situation of the music scene. A few years ago, one of Fall Out Boy's friends and one of the most beloved icons in the punk rock scene, Blink 182, returned, and they did not disappoint with the music that they have come up with, being a perfect mix between the old Blink and their own individual projects, namely Angels & Airwaves and +44. And maybe this could be the same thing that could happen with Fall Out Boy. They have burned the past, yes, but what they were would always be part of who they are, it's just that there could be some sprinkles and scoops of what they have been doing for the past few years in their hiatus. Moreover, they would enter the music scene that is way way different compared to what they left behind two years ago. Besides the pressures brought to returning bands, they also have to come to terms about the rise of the indie scene, dubstep, and The Voice, new things that they could take a hit on and even sing about.

All of these boils down to one thing: the way they can surprise everyone means that there will be something in store for all of the lovers and haters of Fall Out Boy. At this point, it really now sank in:

#FOBisback