Fall Out Boy’s ‘MANIA’ is repetitive and faux-inspirational

Rock band Fall Out Boy released their seventh studio album MANIA on Jan. 19, three years after 2015’s American Beauty / American Psycho.

The term “rock” band is being used quite loosely here, which is ironic because it was only 2013 when Fall Out Boy wanted to Save Rock and Roll on their fifth studio album. The band has toned down their rockin’ roots, and adopted a more alternative rock electronica fusion-styled sound (including sampling and featuring rappers like Big Sean on their LP). But with MANIA, the band has all but abandoned rock and roll.

Despite the stylistic change, Fall Out Boy’s typical thematic content has not been lost. The questioning of place, purpose and fate, and themes of love and loneliness are evident throughout MANIA, though these themes are  undermined by the over-involved production, distracting synthesizers and other computer-generated sounds.

Had the album utilized real instrumentals, the deeply human messages would certainly have had stronger resonance. Attempts at empowering and inspirational lyrics lack strength or depth because they are too surface-level and repetitive, such as on “Champion” — “If I can live through this / if I can live through this / if I can live through this / and I can do anything.”

The message in  the chorus of “Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea” is no different; lead singer Patrick Stump can think of nothing more than “The only thing that’s ever stopping me is me, hey!”

Still, the song is the highlight of the album,  and sounds like the most traditional Fall Out Boy with it’s heavy rock and roll influence. With the exception of the aforementioned chorus, the song has the most complex and distinct message of all the songs of MANIA, expressing a frustration with the present day. However,  this sentiment is not presented in the most straightforward way with lines like, “Seems like the whole damn world went and lost its mind / And all of my childhood heroes have fallen off or died” and “Even at the best of times I’m out of my mind / You only get what you grieve.”

Over time, the contents of Fall Out Boy’s musical catalogue the song titles and lengths have gotten shorter and shorter. The longest song on MANIA is the finale “Bishop’s Knife Trick” at 4:23; and the shortest, “Stay Frosty Milk Tea,” fails to reach even the three minute mark, clocking in at 2:50. With a total run time of 35:46, MANIA heavily relied on vocal riffs and repetition of words and phrases to fill the time. 

Despite its lack of depth, the strongest single released ahead of the album is “Champion,” as it showcases Fall Out Boy’s shift in perspective since their previous albums. It explores the complications of success and failure, and overcoming obstacles. This song in particular is sort of a melancholic, new take on “Centuries” from American Beauty / American Psycho.

Fall Out Boy has grown up from their boyish dreams, and seen the reality of things. “Centuries” was about having big dreams, while on “Champion,” the same dreams have been realized but aren’t all they were cracked it up to be.

With regards to the production, Fall Out Boy’s reliance on technology renders them somewhat hard to distinguish from other artists, as it blends in with the popular sound of today. Certain songs sound nearly identical to Top 40 hits. “HOLD ME TIGHT OR DON’T” sounds like  Calvin Harris’ “Feels,”  and “Heaven’s Gate” mimics Rihanna’s “Love on the Brain.” A common critique with many artists is that the more mainstream they are, the worse their music becomes, and Fall Out Boy is no exception.

MANIA is to Fall Out Boy as 1989 was to Taylor Swift. It’s difficult to say whether fans will be disappointed or not with Fall Out Boy’s style. Some “progressives” might embrace the band’s electronica influences, while“purists” may pine for the rockin’ Fall Out Boy of the early 2000s.