Fall Out Boy - Sugar, We're Goin Down
I somehow feel this review is a little pointless, as by know most people who own a radio have heard this song. But if by some miracle you haven't heard Fall Out Boy already, they peddle an emo-tinged brand of catchy pop-punk which has been described as 'softcore' (the genre-name generating machine clearly working in overdrive...). Already girls-screaming-in-the-front-row popular in America, the quartet are posed to take on the UK with their forthcoming tour and debut single: 'Sugar, we're goin' down'.
It's quite clear why this song has been chosen as lead single. Fusing the sing-along style of Spitalfield, the tongue-twisting lyrics of Taking Back Sunday and the heavier guitars of Alkaline Trio, this accessible song is instantly likeably and incredibly catchy. Not that it's reinventing the genre or anything - Fall Out Boy stand out from the crowd, but they don't quite create one of their own. At times, the lyrics are totally unintelligible, and there is a rather amusing video knocking about on myspace.com showing just how the they can be misunderstood (for example, "Drop a heart, and break a name" is transcribed as "drop a harp, and beak a neigh", with a picture of a horse...hilarious.) And if you're one of those people who just can't stand that American pop-punk accent, then stay well clear. Otherwise? Well buy the album, obviously.