So Much (For) Stardust is Fall Out Boy’s eighth studio album, it was released on March 24, 2023, five years after their last album MANIA. So Much (For) Stardust has a 13 song tracklist and is a total of about 44 minutes. The album So Much (For) Stardust is taking a step back from the technological sounds and aspects that were used in MANIA, in exchange for more organic sounds, like in From Under the Cork Tree, Infinity on High, and Folie à Deux. The first three songs, Love From the Other Side, Heartbreak Feels So Good, and Hold Me Like a Grudge all have music videos.

As an album, So Much (For) Stardust is really good and you can hear the amount of work that was put into it. With Fall Out Boy going back to their roots, I think their music has greatly improved from their last album, MANIA. I rate So Much (For) Stardust 8/10, and it’s now my favorite Fall Out Boy album. If you want, you can listen to the album here: So Much (For) Stardust.  Also, if you want to see Fall Out Boy live, they will be performing in Maryland Heights at Hollywood Casino Amphitheater, June 23, 2023.

Below is my track-by-track breakdown of the whole album.

The first track of the album is Love From the Other Side. This song is about four and a half minutes, and is about processing a break-up. With the lyrics starting with a beautiful scene with the main chorus lyrics being “Sending my love from the other side of the apocalypse…” describes how despite the break-up the characters still love each other. The music video shows the band as fictional characters in a book that an old man is reading to his granddaughter, where they go on a journey and use music to defeat an evil tyrant, only for us to learn that the story was true, also Joe Trohman was turned into a raccoon. I rate this track 10/10, because it starts out with a fantasy intro that flows seamlessly into an upbeat rock song that hooks you instantly and easily gets stuck in your head, plus the music video is awesome and has a bookshelf at the beginning with a bunch of references to other pop-punk bands.

The second track of the album is Heartbreak Feels So Good. This song is about three and a half minutes long, and is about two people trying to fight a fading love. The first verse talks about a relationship getting tough, but the characters in the song agree to pretend that their love won’t end, “But could we please pretend this won’t end?” and the chorus talks about how they could end the relationship now or they could try having fun and hope it ends later. The music video has three members of Fall Out Boy, Patrick Stump, Pete Wentz, and Andy Hurley attempting a prank before a big show, only to get chased through the city and when they finally reach the stadium they’re performing at, they get a call from the the fourth member Joe Trohman and learn Patrick Stump got the dates mixed up.  I rate this track 9/10, because despite being quiet at the beginning, it has a really catchy beat and amazing chorus. Also the music video is amazing.

The third track of the album is Hold Me Like a Grudge. This song is about three and a half minutes long, and it’s about Fall Out Boy’s return and how as they got older they became less famous, but also matured to where they don’t care about popularity. This track also makes small references to songs from previous albums. The music video takes place after the events of the videos for Dance, Dance and This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race, were Pete Wentz gets injured and becomes a superhero, he gets a phone call from someone claiming that the band’s breakup is tearing a hole in the space time continuum, after tracking down the other members, they perform at a small venue and save the day using the power of Patrick Stump’s hat. I rate this track 9/10, because it has an amazing beat and the beginning of the chorus just sends shivers down my spine, in a good way. I also love how the video continues the story left by Dance, Dance and This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race. 

The fourth track of the album is Fake Out. This song is about three and a half minutes long, and is about a relationship that the character knows is doomed, and is beginning to become paranoid that the person they love doesn’t love them back and is trying to find a painless way out. I rate this track 4/10, because despite having a pretty nice beat, I think it’s a little too slow and quiet. 

The fifth track of the album is Heaven, Iowa. This song is about four minutes long, and is about a relationship ending and the character decides to save themself for the perfect person despite knowing that they’ll probably never come, “I’m checking myself out forever

I’m saving this all for later,” but still hopes their old love will still care after they’re gone as seen by the lines “Would you read my eulogy?” and “Will you still love who I am? I am”. I rate this track 7/10, because although it’s slower in the verses like Fake Out, I feel like it suits this song better, I also like how it switches to a faster pace during the chorus, which adds a lot of emotion to those lyrics. 

The sixth track of the album is So Good Right Now. This song is about three minutes long, and is about a toxic relationship coming to an end, as the main character is breaking himself both physically and mentally to make the person they love happy as seen by the lyrics “Driftin’ from the start, I ripped myself apart I’ll be whatever you need me to be, you need me to be I cut myself down, cut myself down to whatever you need me to be, you need me to be driftin’ from the start, I ripped myself apart”. I rate this track 7/10, because I love the irony this song presents. It’s really upbeat, and repeats the lyrics “Feelin’ so good right now,” despite being about a breakup, because even bad relationships hurt to leave.. 

The seventh track of the album is The Pink Seashell ft. Ethan Hawke. This track is about a minute long, this track features Ethan Hawke’s monologue from Reality Bites, a film from 1994. Where his character believes that the world has no answers for what happens in our lives after his dying father hands him an empty pink seashell, Fall Out Boy adds a soft melody in the background which gives the monologue more emotion. I rate this track 8/10, I really like how well the monologue is given and the reason behind the meaning of the monologue.

The eighth track of the album is I Am My Own Muse. This song is about four minutes long, and is about the band’s experience with Covid and how it affected their ability to work on music and tours, comparing the world to an apocalypse with the line “The trumpets bring the angels, but they never came” which is an analogy to the Last Judgment from the Bible, which takes place right before the apocalypse. I rate this track 7/10, because of how suspense is built up throughout the song, the intro builds up suspense for a great song, but the verses are sung quiet, while the instruments become slightly louder and more drawn out building up to the louder chorus.

The ninth track of the album is Flu Game. This song is about three and a half minutes long, and is about the band growing old and having a hard time making music because they’re running out of creativity, but still work hard for their fans in a hope that they won’t end up forgotten and that their music will spread. I rate this track 8/10, because you can feel the emotion in Patrick Stump’s words, with a bittersweet sound during the chorus and bridge, while the verses have a slight sadness in them.

The tenth track of the album is Baby Annihilation. This track is about a minute long, this track is another monologue, but is given by Pete Wentz about how there’s too much fakeness in the world, and that will lead to our downfall, and the only ones who realize it aren’t seen. I rate this track 8/10, I really like the way Pete Wentz gives this monologue, and how it presents an actual real world problem and I relate to it as I have similar views.

The eleventh track of the album is The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years). This song is about four minutes long, and is about the band’s struggle with drugs and alcohol throughout their history. I rate this track 5/10, I don’t really like the lyrics, and I feel like the beat is too upbeat for how Patrick Stump sings the lyrics.

The twelfth track of the album is What a Time to be Alive. This song is about four minutes long, and is about how Covid ruined so many people’s lives, by forcing them to stay in quarantine and killed people, with the opening and closing lines pointing out how most of us just moved on as if nothing happened, “Sometime you wonder if we’re ever looking back”. I rate this track 8/10, because it’s easy to relate to the song, since we all lived through Covid, and this is just their view on it.

The thirteenth track of the album is So Much (For) Stardust. This song is about five minutes long, and is meant to be a continuation of Love From The Other Side referencing the song by repeating the line “You were the sunshine of my lifetime. What would you trade the pain for? I’m not sure.” with the first song being the opening of a book, and this song being the end, removing the fictional veil showing how the band thought they had everything, but still missed the music. I rate this track 10/10, So Much (For) Stardust has a unique sound compared to the rest of the album using a violin and trumpet along with their other instruments, and despite being slower it sounds amazing and has a really catchy chorus.