Fall Out Boy's Thriller Album Review

March 4, 2023

thriller fall out boy meaning

Thriller was an album about underdogs triumphing over odds, yet it was also one of Fall Out Boy's most personal and vulnerable records. The lyrics evoke images of high-energy car crashes, long nights spent crying on the couch and the power of poetry to bring people to life.

In the early days, Fall Out Boy were the scrappy underdogs whose youthful energy was as infectious as their songs. Fronted by then 17-year-old Patrick Stump, they'd play their friends' living rooms with the same fervour as 100-person shows.

While they grew into mainstream pop-punk kings, the band's success drew them away from their emo roots. It wasn't a new thing for them to reinvent themselves; bands change their style, sometimes for the better.

But when they changed direction for the first time, it felt as if they cut out all of what made them compelling. The band's guitars became an afterthought, the snotty-nosed vocalisation replaced with polish and the desire to rock was replaced with pop drama.

The resulting sound was a polarising one for many. It was not only commercially disappointing, but it also alienated some of the band's younger fanbase who were used to a more confident and optimistic outlook.

Their resurgence with Save Rock and Roll in 2013 wasn't a failure - it was an uncompromising rebirth of the band's musical identity, showcasing their ability to move with the times. Their upcoming release M A N I A will be their first full-length since 2014's Young Volcanoes. The song is a stomping acoustic number, in the wake of Mumford and Sons, Avicii and the Lumineers, but it's also uniquely Fall Out Boy, buoyed by the pure joy of being together, making music again.

Mission

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