Fall Out Boy re-entered the scene earlier this year with “Save Rock and Roll.” Personally, I wasn’t a fan of their new, poppy sound. I craved the pop-punk sound à la “Take This to Your Grave” or “Evening Out With Your Girlfriend.” Needless to say, I was pretty disappointed with “Save Rock and Roll.”
But then the band announced a new EP entitled “Pax Am Days.” This EP was recorded in two days at the Pax Am Studios. The band quoted this EP as “a collection of songs we did for fun…” This EP takes influence from the olden days of hardcore punk and bands such as Minor Threat and Black Flag. The album starts off with the high-octane “Art of Keeping Up Disappearances” and keeps the energy high through the end single “Love, Sex, Death.” Gang vocals and chaotic guitar solos are apparent in this album, something that we’ve never really heard from Fall Out Boy. It’s a refreshing antithesis to the poppy “Save Rock and Roll.” The songwriting is superb and the band really pulls this hardcore punk sound off. The only complaint is that Patrick Stump’s voice isn’t really suited for punk. Sure, it did well in their early days. But the band, including Stump’s voice, have matured. Stump is an avid user of vibrato, which is something that isn’t really an attribute of hardcore punk.
Other than Stump not really having the vocals for hardcore, this album is pretty good. It’s fast, it’s fun, and it takes listeners back to the golden days of Fall Out Boy.
Best Tracks: Hot To The Touch, Cold On The Inside and American Made
Score: 7.5/10
Ryan and Jon Do Music 