Fall Out Boy’s most recent album, released on Jan. 19, 2018, “MANIA” is a solid follow-up to their 2015 album “American Beauty/American Psycho.” The album was originally scheduled to drop September 2017, but was postponed due to the bands’ feeling that the album felt rushed.
“MANIA” consists of 10 songs, for a total run-time of about 36 minutes. The songs are noticeably EDM-influenced, having a strong percussive sound. The band described the album as “hard drive wipe” for their sound. “AB/AP” was the start of the band’s drift from their classic “emo” sound, but “MANIA” dances even further away from what they are known for. However, hints of their roots can be found in the subject matter of some of the songs, especially “Wilson (Expensive Mistakes).”
Fall Out Boy are well-known for their elaborate music videos, and those produced for “MANIA” are no exception. They tend to have a loose narrative that runs throughout the music videos, so all the music videos can be watched in order to create a story. The “MANIA” videos are less organized, but they prominently feature two llamas throughout in various humorous situations.
“MANIA” is currently available for purchase on iTunes and the Google Play Store.