Before this blog begins, I’m gonna need you to click this little red beauty right here.
Did you click it?
If you did, then you are now one of many that are either non-ironically-eighth-grade-style-stoked-for-the-FOB-reunion or, alternatively, couldn’t care less and are a little frightened by Patrick Stump’s Michael Jackson imitations. Whichever flag you’re waving, it’s tough to deny that Fall Out Boy’s comeback brings back the saccharine-tinged memories of when pop punk and seemingly all of the outfits on Fueled by Ramen had the world at their fingertips. Here are five bubblegummed rock anthems to bring you back to the fateful year “From Under The Cork Tree” was released, giving us glossy packets of guitar pop like “Sugar, We’re Goin’ Down” and “A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More Touch Me.” Hate it or love it, this is 2005, babe.
The Academy Is… — "Slow Down"
Like Fall Out Boy, this pop quintet originated in the Windy City. From their debut record “Almost Here,” this may have been the perfect song for the romantically displaced in the halls of their junior high. Its driving chorus and classic sugar-with-an-edge riff burns right through lead singer William Beckett’s luscious brown locks. The lyrics play like they spilled right out of someone’s mechanical pencil into their personal Five Star notebook: “Take back everything you ever said / you never meant a word of it / you never did.” Ouch.
Motion City Soundtrack — "Everything is Alright"
Alright, guilty as charged. I feel the love for the Moog’d out tunes of this Minneapolis band, and even after eight years, it still makes me swoon. Justin Pierre brings his nerdy style and day-clear belt to the forefront on this jam, and his Midwestern swagger paired with the catchy grooves of the synth licks solidifies this group’s sweetheart status in my pop punk catalog.
Panic! At The Disco — "I Write Sins Not Tragedies"
Panic! At The Disco ixnayed their exclamation point along with moving their music in a new direction fairly early into their career, but anyone within earshot of a radio in 2005 will eternally remember the band in their original, expressive state. The reason why? This song ceaselessly played its way through that year, reaching number 7 in the Billboard Top 40 and number 2 on Billboard’s pop charts.
Coheed and Cambria — "The Suffering"
Admittedly, this concept-driven group falls into a more musically diverse genre than the other outfits on this list. However, even the macabre story that intertwines their albums has room for some pop-slathered punk’n’roll. It may not be a bad idea to give the melodramatic music video a viewing too—mermaids and mythical beasts roam the frames.
The All-American Rejects — "Dirty Little Secret"
Do I even have to explain this one? Blast it shamelessly, you geek.
