Album Review: Fall Out Boy - Mania

Fall Out Boy are one of those classic bands you never truly get over, and their seventh studio album Mania reignites the spark and takes fans through a whole new sonic universe. 

Featuring those iconic vocals from the legendary Patrick Stump, Mania mixes some deep electronic influences with dirty rock'n'roll, which births some tremendously pumped-up tracks that should honestly be added to everyone's gym playlist right now. Stay Frosty Royal Milk Tea gives us the return of their quintessentially long, weird song titles, and The Last Of The Real Ones' anthemic chorus and atmospheric guitar melodies are a significant highlight.

But, when it all comes down to it, you can't take the emo out of an early-'00s punk band and, despite the tighter mixes, genre explorations and cleaner sounds, Fall Out Boy are still emo at heart. "I'll stop wearing black when they make a darker colour," and, "I became such a strange shape... from trying to fit in," speak to the core of our inner-emo kid and, despite the peculiar rap feature on Sunshine Riptide (rap verses on FOB songs rarely work), Mania may well be the album that pulls them ever so slightly out of the nostalgic band pile.