FINALLY! What have they been doing? One of the world’s most influential and memorable pop punk bands of the early noughties trying to release quirky pop albums like ‘Save Rock and Roll’; with their deep and meaningful messages and huge collaborations…I was beginning to doubt them. Then where did this come from? After returning from a three year ‘break’ Fall Out Boy have hit us with a fifth studio album, an EP release and an unbelievably huge tour. PAX AM days, a mini album, an ep?
It may only be thirteen minutes long, but my lord give it a listen. With Ryan Adams on board assisting in the 2 days of recording it took to get all of this down, the rumours that Fall Out Boy were releasing a ‘Punk’ record were too much for me to handle. True, Stump’s vocals have had to take somewhat of a back seat while the power chords and edgy drums are pushed forward, but screw it, it’s a more throaty and coarse sound for the boys than we are used to and it works. ‘Hot to touch, Cold on the inside’ is the only song on the EP that truly gives us the old Stump back, but the short bursts of ‘Love, Sex, Death’ ‘Demigods’ and ‘Art of keeping up disappearances’ are so ridiculously fun and catchy that I really don’t mind; truly envious of anyone who will be catching this in the next six months. It is gritty, it’s heavy, it is far better than those cliché adjectives express; it is punk heaven, and it will make your bus journey so much better.
Written by Sophie Cohen
The Verse
