Chicago natives Fall Out Boy have been weirdly quiet over the past couple of months in relation to their scheming about gossip and news about a release (or not a release, it was all very hush, hush). Today, the band have dropped a new single “Young And Menace” off their upcoming record M A N I A via Island Records, which will be released in September of this year.
In an interview with Zach Sang, guitarist Pete Wentz describes the video as what it would be like to discover who you thought you were to be wrong; not wrong about something, but wrong about who you are. Wentz said, “it’s like a dark version of Elf—you in Elf where he [discovers]‘I’m not an elf, what the fuck!'” Joking aside, the protagonist discovers she’s not a monster, but a human. In the end, she realizes we’re all really monsters in this big ol’ universe of ours and no one is totally perfect. Beautiful, weird, abstract, packed with edm and less lead guitar than anything FOB have ever done before, the song is a snippet of “the inside of how [singer Patrick Stump’s]brain works,” if so, the message is loud and clear: Fall Out Boy have done a 180 degree turn. While the meat of the brand (and band) are still intact, the explorative dynamics of the band’s relationship to writing music is unpredictable and it’s an exciting transition to be a part of in it’s early stage. As the anticipation from fans builds, so does the insightful future of FOB and their inner workings of who they are to become. Stay tuned for more as the release date closes the gap and pay attention to “Young And Menace,” according to Wentz there is a reference to Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue dying twice.
