From comeback album Save Rock and Roll to a nationwide summer tour with Paramore, not to mention several music award wins, fans and critics worldwide find it difficult to imagine that a little over a year ago alternative rock band Fall Out Boy was still laying low on their four year hiatus. Just when Fall Out Boy began to slow down, the rock group added to their successful year with the September 8th release of the track “Centuries,” the group’s lead single on the highly anticipated sixth album to be released in early 2015. “Centuries” does not fail to please fans and new listeners, for its anthemic chorus and powerful vocals prove that the band’s theatrical return to the music industry is not quite finished yet.
Upon pressing play, the single opens with a tribute to Suzanne Vega, whose vocals from song “Tom’s Diner” are heard in the first few seconds. Following the tribute, lead singer Patrick Stump opens the song with a memorable chorus. With lines such as “some legends are told, some turn to dust or to gold. But you will remember me, remember me, for centuries” the band assures fans that they are truly back from their hiatus and ready to create a legacy in the music industry.
Aside from the lyrics, one aspect of the single that critics listen for is whether Fall Out Boy’s sound has changed since 2013 album Save Rock and Roll. Obviously “Centuries” is an entirely new venture as the band continues to undergo a musical evolution. Fall Out Boy’s beginnings in 2003 to their hiatus in 2009 consisted of emotional music as the band’s way of venting their angst and frustrations of their declining success. The band’s tone only got darker as they neared their inevitable hiatus. After their break, the band greatly matured by putting their troubled past behind them and began to compose more upbeat and lighter feeling songs that Save Rock and Roll and ‘Centuries’ are comprised of. However, one thing is for certain: the single is a far cry from Fall Out Boy’s pre-hiatus alternative rock sound and is more pop-orientated like Save Rock and Roll. Fans could either see this transformation as unfavorable, because the band is becoming more mainstream, or satisfying, because the group is coming out with a new and refreshing musical style. As for whether this four minute snippet constitutes the sound and style of the band’s upcoming album, one can only truly find out when the album drops early next year. Given the unpredictable nature of the band, listeners might be in for a complete surprise.
