“This isn’t a reunion because we never broke up.”
This sentence is part of the short message that graced the front of FallOutBoyRock.com Feb. 4 after the band announced the end of its four-year hiatus. The announcement came as a shock to many fans, as the band had repeatedly denied rumors that have surfaced in the past few months. Some were not so shocked, as music blogs and musicians have posted and tweeted recently that they personally heard confirmation. The most convincing argument of their return was when DirecTV posted Jimmy Kimmel’s Feb. 13 lineup, with the musical guest being the then-still-disbanded Fall Out Boy, which prompted speculation.
The band originally announced on the website that its full-length album, Save Rock and Roll, would be out May 6 and 7 worldwide, which coincides with the 10-year anniversary of their debut album, Take This to Your Grave. However, they moved the date up to April 15 and 16. In addition, they released the dates of an upcoming tour in America, Europe and Australia. Their official comeback show in their hometown of Chicago started the tour off, occurring the night of Feb 4. Tickets for the show sold out within minutes.
That’s not all. On the same site, Fall Out Boy released a video for its first song since announcing their breakup in 2009. It is entitled “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up),” sticking with true Fall Out Boy tradition that has brought fans long titles such as “I’ve Got All This Ringing in My Ears and None on My Fingers” from their 2007 album Infinity on High.
The video for “Light Em Up” stars rapper 2 Chainz burning records and old Fall Out Boy memorabilia. This could signify that Fall Out Boy is no longer the angst-ridden, guyliner-wearing band that fans have come to know and love.
In an interview with the Elvis Duran and the Morning Show, a syndicated radio show, the band members stated that they wanted to figure out what Fall Out Boy would sound like if they had just started the band in 2013.
It’s clear that the new single is a different sound from classics like “Sugar We’re Going Down.” “Light Em Up” seems to be more of a mix of Patrick Stump’s disco-dance solo work and Pete Wentz’s electronic band Black Cards. The track isn’t too bad; it has a strong beat and Stump’s vocal ability is definitely remarkable. However, the new sound is a bit unexpected and could be shocking to die-hard fans of their earlier work; many have been with the band since its rise to popularity in 2005, when the hit song “Sugar, We’re Going Down” was released.
“I’ve loved Fall Out Boy since fourth grade,” senior Bridget Dubin said. “Although my music taste has obviously changed a lot over the years, they have a lot of sentimental meaning for me.”
Hopefully, fans can expect even more news in the future from the band. Fall Out Boy’s Save Rock and Roll tour will bring the band to the 9:30 Club in Washington DC May 31 for a sold out show.
“The opportunity to see a band I’ve loved since childhood is really awesome,” Dubin said.
