What Is The New Fall Out Boy Song 'Young and Menace'?

Many say that Fall Out Boy has been on a steady decline after their hiatus ended. Save Rock & Roll wasn't the greatest album, but American Beauty / American Psycho had a lot going for it. It was a nice blend of new FOB with the old. They're back with new music, but it doesn't have quite the same charm as previous albums. In fact, you'll probably be asking yourself "What is the new Fall Out Boy song?" as you listen to 'Young and Menace.'

This song is a doozy. Countless bands have been taking the full pop route lately, but Fall Out Boy has gone deep into it with something that doesn't justify the change in sound at all. 'Young and Menace' is an EDM rock track which, in theory, could have been a great thing. What you end up with is a conglomeration of annoying and incessant vocal chops and heavily edited vocals. It feels like all of the life has been drained from Patrick Stump's voice and was replaced some sort of weird fever dream Pete Wentz had. Nothing remains of Fall Out Boy's past in this track. It's just a messy attempt at blending electronics with pop rock.

The video for the track is effective in its message, but it really doesn't have anything to do with the song. The video tackles depression and domestic abuse, while the song is about... having a bad reputation? It's hard to really say what this song is about. It certainly just doesn't feel humble by any means, and the video doesn't really do anything with the song besides following its dynamics. A good video, a bad song, both of which have no relation.

It's time for a new era of Fall Out Boy, and it's not off to a great start. I'm still not entirely sure who thought that 'Young and Menace' was a good idea. It's a messy, discursive, failed attempt at bringing EDM into their music, and it strips the band entirely of their past. This is not the way to start a new path.

Rating: 40 / 100

Fall Out Boy's new album MANIA is out September 15. Pre-order the record here:

...and listen to 'Young and Menace' on Apple Music or Amazon: