REVIEW: Fall Out Boy - Young And Menace

Rhiannon Boden
May 4, 2017
2 min read

Following a serious change of aesthetic and a series of cryptic tweets, Fall Out Boy finally revealed all when they dropped Young And Menace yesterday. The first taste of seventh studio album Mania, the song is fan’s first F.O.B fix since 2015, and it’s safe to say it’s unlike anything they’ve put out before. Though the band have always been radio friendly, the past two albums have been a definite progression into full on pop-rock, a decision which has filled stadiums and served them well. It would be easy to see their newest single as a natural next-step into the genre, but Young And Menace is as much of a departure from their warm radio rock as it is from their halcyon emo days.

Of course, the track does have its high points. Fall Out Boy have never been afraid to diversify their sound, and their hard left into electronica holds true to that spirit. During the points where Patrick sounds like himself, his vocals are as strong as ever, and the lyrics rise far above the standard pop-punk fare. There are even moments where the Stranger-Things-meets-Looney-Tunes vibes of the video hit perfectly, but like everything else in the song, the moments of coherence are few and far between.

The tempo changes are too disorientating to keep up with and, though the chorus hook undeniably does its job, the high-pitched synthesised vocals are placed a little too far forward in the mix for comfort. The song lingers too long in some places and rushes by in other and, though I can only assume they were going for organised chaos, the result is an end product that bombards the senses but doesn’t manage to be memorable.

The album is released in September, and it might prove that the song works better in context. Indeed, with All Time Low and Paramore also dipping their toes into more electronic fare, Fall Out Boy might also find that elusive balance, and capture the attention of a whole new audience. For now though, I’m left hoping the pop-punk giants will surprise me, and maybe choose a less Creeper-esque shade of purple for their promo materials.