Pax-Am Days EP - Fall Out Boy: REVIEW

So Fall Out Boy returned this year from their hiatus and set about taking over the world once again, with their unique brand of pop rock. 'Save Rock & Roll' might be a pun, but as the band have stated, it's a lot more about the ideal of Rock N Roll which they are trying to save. The idea of plugging in and playing with your friends, playing music that you want to play. FOB released the album which put them back in the public consciousness. Now they're set to rerelease 'Save Rock & Roll' with an extra EP.

Pax-Am Days is a collection of 8 songs which last a grand total of 13:19 minutes. The band recorded it at Ryan Adams, a band friend and a singer songwriter in his own right, house, just recording whatever they felt like. Being described as a very laid back record, the band didn't know that Adams was recording 90% of the sessions on tape, so they didn't even know what was going to be recorded and what wasn't. The tracks consist of 80s punk and 90s hardcore influences, and are hard to the floor, punk rock songs, showing that FOB can be down and dirty when they want to be. Sounding like early Clash, Sex Pistols and Ramones, all at the same time, is an incredible achievement. The band sound tight, hungry and full of fire. Everyone who claims they're just the sell out punk kids will be shown as to being very wrong here. You can take the kid out of the punk scene, but the punk scene never leaves the kid. Hardcore and punk are a way of life, and all 4 members were in various punk bands throughout their early years.

Of the eight songs, only one of them reaches past the two minute mark, this being the closer, Caffeine Cold, which is a mammoth 2:42. The shortest song clocks in at 1:03, Art Of Keeping Up Disappearances, but it still packs a mighty punch. The riffs and drums are the main instruments on show on the EP, with Pete Wentz's bass taking more of a funky twist, which allows Joe Trohman, Andy Hurley & Patrick Stump to really show their technical playing ability.

All in all, Pax-Am Days was written as an off the cuff, for a laugh, boys day in and that's shown. There's a fun element here which is prominent and allows the band to flex their muscles in ways not seen for many years. Punk Rock is becoming more and more rare to find, but this EP shows that when done right, it can be a great addition to any back-catalogue. Now will FOB play any of it live? I for one genuinely hope so.

4/5