Fall Out Boy Built a Mall. I Went Looking for Clues.
Fall Out Boy opened a mall on the internet, so naturally I spent my evening reading the fine print on an ice cream coupon. I used to go to the mall to buy Fall Out Boy records, now I go to the Fall Out Boy mall to investigate whether they’re making another one. Somewhere, a Hot Topic employee from 2007 just felt a disturbance in the Force.
It started October 30 with a welcome to Twilight Town Mall. Then the band’s website turned into a directory with a food court, security cameras, a Box Office icon and a mattress store called the Twilight Dream Center. As of November 3, the mall’s Events page still says “Coming soon.” The grand reopening is the story the band is telling. What opens with it is the mystery. Enter Twilight Town Mall · Check the Events page
Store 01 is already worth squinting at, with the fake $799.99 mattress ad works a “Sugar, We’re Goin Down” wink into its sales pitch and makes Saturday night sound alright for sleeping. Fingers crossed that the price $799.99 isn’t an actual price to something, and if it is, it better be fuckin rad.
That second one sent me back to the band’s 2014 cover of Elton John’s “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting).” Elton also sang on the title track of Save Rock and Roll, so that’s a two-for-one for anybody who came here with their rewards card. The Dream Center also hawks a glowing Dream Guard and asks for a street address on its signup form. A mouthguard aimed squarely at elder emos with stress-induced jaw pain? Finally, merch I can explain to my dentist. Twilight Dream Center · The Elton cover
Then there’s the security footage. Patrick Stump flips through records, Joe Trohman handles cameras, Andy Hurley tries a claw machine, and Pete Wentz lines a coffin. Patrick, Joe and Andy look like they’re getting a head start on their holiday shopping. Pete looks like he’s getting a head start on a different kind of layaway. The Needle Drop connected the coffin to the “Thnks fr th Mmrs” video, so I’m putting the original clip below for anyone who needs to revisit the evidence. Mall security footage · The Needle Drop’s reporting
FALL OUT BOY | “THNKS FR TH MMRS”
The Twilight Town Mall directory
1. Two Quarters Arcade and Flash Flash Flash Photography Studio. Andy’s claw machine gives the “Dance, Dance” reference a home, and Joe’s camera gear points straight to “The Take Over, the Breaks Over.” Those songs come from different records. The mall had barely opened and we’d already gone from From Under the Cork Tree to Infinity on High.
2. Toy Works Comics and Lake Effect Kids Toys. The toy store nods to Lake Effect Kid. The comic shop is my favorite pull on the map because it reaches outside the records altogether. Pete co-created Fall Out Toy Works, a 2009 Image Comics series about a toymaker and an android named Tiffany. Add the Offers page’s “A Little Less Spending, A Little More Savings” and you’ve got a directory that rewards the kid who actually read the liner notes. Fall Out Toy Works · Mall offers
3. The food court has two receipts. West Coast Smoker BBQ and Folie à Dough Pizza put Folie à Deux on the menu, and The Last of the Real Buns sneaks in a M A N I A nod. But the thing I’d pin to the corkboard is Dr. No Tomorrow’s Cosmic Scoops. The food court serves up two versions of its free-cone coupon. One limits the offer to earthlings 12 and under. The other opens it to everyone. Fans also reported that the mall’s text signup prefilled NOTOMORROW. Across the hall, the Dream Center promises a better tomorrow. I’m circling the repeated word. I’m leaving the age cutoff to whoever wants to spend another hour in the food court. Food Court · Coupon for all ages · Coupon for kids · Fan notes on the text signup
What could be behind the shutters?
A tour or live event is where I’d put my two quarters. UK fans reported receiving “Twilight of the Punks” shirts from Live Nation, according to The Needle Drop. That’s the most concrete reason to keep an eye on the Box Office. So far, the phrase is printed on a shirt and the site’s Events page is still blank apart from its teaser. Read the mailer report
New music has a precedent. The 2022 Pink Seashell Beach postcards and companion site led into So Much (For) Stardust. This time we’ve got another fictional destination, another reason to check the mailbox, and a repeated phrase that could matter. If a new song turns up, I’m checking its title for “No Tomorrow” before I do anything else. The Pink Seashell Beach rollout
The anniversary theory has a calendar. Infinity on High turns 20 in February 2027, and the photography studio and the possible coffin callback give that record a couple of good clues. But the references run all the way from Cork Tree through M A N I A, with a comic book detour in between. An anniversary could fit inside this thing. It’d have to share the mall. Infinity on High
For now, I’m checking the Box Office first, keeping “No Tomorrow” on the corkboard, and giving the mall one more lap. If anybody needs me, I’ll be at Folie à Dough pretending I only came in for a slice.
You can check out FALL OUT BOY in the links below.
Campaign art courtesy of Fall Out Boy’s official site
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