So Much (For) Stardust might be Fall Out Boy’s first album in five years, but don’t call it a comeback. Over the past few years, it feels like no matter where you look, there’s some sort of resurgence of emo or pop punk happening around every corner. Whether it’s My Chemical Romance’s massive world tour that is still going strong, the reunion of the original blink-182 lineup or last years inaugural When We Were Young Festival, it’s safe to say that there’s money in nostalgia, whether intentional or not. But, like MCR, it seems that Fall Out Boy aren’t simply cashing in on a quick buck or jumping on the new wave of pop-punk. No, instead, the band’s eighth studio album feels like a celebration of everything that has brought them here, be it their beloved breakout early work on Take This To Your Grave and From Under The Cork Tree, the massive energy on Folie à Deux and Infinity On High or even the blending of genres their newer releases like Save Rock And Roll, American Beauty/American Psycho and M A N I A.
As frontman Pete Wentz explained when the album was first announced alongside the release of the epic lead single, “Love From The Other Side”, So Much (For) Stardust is the cumulation of all of the albums that came before it. It’s a celebration of each and every iteration of Fall Out Boy before. “Our band has been an ongoing art project for twenty years and we know there have been many inception points along that journey,” he explained “We wanted to create an album that merged those points together – something new, but carved from our foundation.”
That goal is easily accomplished even within the first five songs. While “Love From The Other Side” harkens back to the band’s punk roots, “Heartbreak Feels So Good” quickly proves that this isn’t a throwback release, driven by a combination of oscillating synth and powerful guitar. The groovy “Hold Me Like A Grudge” throws back to Infinity On High while “Fake Out” is a dreamy pop track, carried by Patrick Stump’s soaring vocals and “Heaven, Iowa” is a cinematic, timeless track that sounds unlike anything the band has done before.
Sonically, So Much (For) Stardust is an incredibly cohesive release. Twenty years into the band’s career, it comes as no surprise that they manage to merge all of their sounds and influences into thirteen completely different sounding songs that somehow just work together. Moodier songs like “Heaven, Iowa” sit easily alongside the poppy as hell, “So Good Right Now” before the album dives into it’s crescendo in the epic, “I Am My Own Muse”, carried by a stunning orchestra, heavy guitar work and Patrick Stump’s commanding vocals. It’s impossible to choose a singular high point or “best song” on the album, because each track has its own strengths for different reasons, whether it’s the songwriting on “I Am My Own Muse”, the catchy choruses on songs like “Flu Game” or the introspective lyrics on “The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years)” or “What A Time To Be Alive,” which finds Stump reflecting on the rippling effects of the COVID pandemic in a way that feels honest, not pandering. All of these songs are tied together by two spoken word tracks, one being a speech by Ethan Hawke in the 1994 film Reality Bites, which beautifully encompasses the album’s themes.
For a casual listener, So Much (For) Stardust will be an exciting and memorable listen. It will definitely make new fans out of those who maybe haven’t dipped their toes into the band’s daunting catalogue yet. But (and no offense to those who might just be getting into the band) this album is clearly a love letter to Fall Out Boy’s storied past and the seven diverse albums that brought them here. That much can be seen in the band’s decision to work with Neal Avron, who produced fan-favorite albums, From Under the Cork Tree, Infinity on High and Folie à Deux, as well as their resigning to Fueled by ramen. It’s not a complete throwback to their roots, which would have likely felt a bit disingenuous, but it also doesn’t forget where they came from. It boasts one of Patrick Stump’s best vocal performances of his career and some of the band’s strongest songwriting yet, as well as one of their most dynamic track lists. So Much (For) Stardust simply proves why Fall Out Boy are one of the most beloved bands in the emo and pop-punk scenes, why they have been able to effortlessly break into the mainstream, and why they’re still going strong eight albums and twenty years in.