by Katherine Capulong, staff reporter
When the news broke of Fall Out Boy’s formerly indefinite hiatus, fangirls wept and turned to blogs and social media outlets to express their sadness and outrage. A couple of years later those same fangirls jumped for joy at the announcement of the band’s new album, Save Rock and Roll.
“I loved them before they broke up, since the 4th grade actually, and when they went on hiatus, I was honestly really torn. They’re what got me through 3 awful years of middle school, so when I heard they weren’t making music anymore, even for a while, I was so upset. I was afraid they wouldn’t really ever make a comeback,” junior Sage O’ Brien said.
During their hiatus, members of Fall Out Boy tried out their own side projects. Their lead singer, Patrick Stump, debuted an album as a solo artist, and the others went and formed other bands to try different genres. All of these side projects were met with negative critical reception and negative sales, which led to many speculating that these failures just might spark a reunion.
Rumors in 2012 of the four back in the studio, ready to end their hiatus, was denied again and again until this year. In February 2013, Fall Out Boy decided to grace the music scene with their presence once more with the launch of their new single, “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark.” Upon the news of their reunion, the group made headlines from Diamondback Online’s “Why the Fall Out Boy Reunion Can Go Die in A Fire,” to the LA Times “Fall Out Boy back in action with a new single, album and tour.”
“I don’t think it matters at all [if they are sellouts]; good music is good music. To be honest, both the before and after of the break up [they seem] pretty much the same to me. I’ve always loved their music so I always will. I was shocked when I heard they were recording a new album,” sophomore Adva Fuchs said.
But Before Fall Out Boy saves rock and roll they might want to take a crack at their reputation first. The band has met negative reviews in the past, with the much known nickname “Sell Out Boy.” Some students weren’t big fans of them to begin with.
“I honestly think that they’re not all that great. I don’t know why everyone’s obsessing over them. I’ve heard better music,” junior Ravital Narkolayev said.
Whether they’re sellouts or artists, they’re back, daring listeners to ask if they’re better than ever.
