‘Folie à Deux’, French for, a madness shared by two is the name of Illinois rock band, Fall Out Boy’s fourth studio album. As of December 16 2025 it has officially been 17 years since the albums release and hindsight sure is 20/20.
Upon the albums original 2008 release, fans and critics alike were not entirely fond of the band’s stylistic departure from their pop-punk roots. The album was viewed as a sort of taboo among fans and was the last project before the band took a hiatus shortly after.
Fans were desperate to cake their eyes in eyeliner, lace up their converse and scream along to Pete Wentz shouting slam poetry at the end of new songs, safe to say that is far from what they received.
‘Folie à Deux’ adapted a much more experimental and operatic sound in comparison to the rustic riffs featured on ‘From Under The Cork Tree’ and ‘Infinity On High’. Fans were extremely open about their distaste toward the record, booing during shows, demands to play earlier songs, arguments online and all in all creating an overly hostile environment for the band, it’s no mystery as to why the band decided to depart from the limelight shortly after such a negative outpouring.
Looking through a lens of older age and growth, fans have now reclaimed the album and many dub it their favourite release, shamefully it took far too long for Folie á Deux to receive the kudos it deserved however at least it is now finally appreciated.
If anything, the experimentation aspects, and advanced sound that occurred during the production of the album brought the band to where they are today and boosted their longevity. Fall Out Boy continue to have no trouble selling out arena tours and amounting close to 30 million listeners on Spotify each month. Something that in the dark 2008 days they could have never dreamt of.
For artists to grow, it is crucial they embark on a range of stylistic ventures, however scene and emo kids would not dare to part from the marriage between Fall Out Boy and their edgier beginning.
A notorious track from the album, ‘What a Catch, Donnie’ was viewed as the bands potential swan song. There were rumours bustling around that this would be their last music video, with such melancholy lyrics guaranteed to pull on heartstrings, maybe fans were starting to feel remorse for their critical treatment towards the guys.
‘I don’t care’, is also an instant classic, a tongue in cheek confident ballad potentially mocking famous people surrounding the band at the time, attempting to piggyback off their success.
The band shared a celebratory instagram post captioned, ‘17 years with Folie à Deux’. Followers rapidly flooding the comments with their praise and appreciation of the record 17 years on.
In the year 2025, ‘Folie à Deux’ is rightfully treasured and now is looked upon with a warming nostalgia and welcomed with open arms. There is no need to compare the album to what came before or after, it reigns high among the hearts of many. Fall Out Boy continues to expand their sound, leaning into a more pop-fueled musical journey.
