Artist: Patrick Stump

Album: ‘Truant Wave’ EP

Record Label: Nervous Breakdance Media

Soundwaves: 4/5

Sounds Like: Fall Out Boy singing unreleased Michael Jackson tunes

Patrick Stump, former lead singer of Fall Out Boy, is finally back in action since the members of the group hung up their instruments in 2009 after a falling out (sorry for the bad pun). Since then, bassist and band heartthrob Pete Wentz formed electro-pop outfit Black Cards, and guitarist Joe Trohman and drummer Andy Hurley went back to their roots and created the metal band The Damned Things.

Stump, however, took the Jason DeRulo approach and decided to ride solo, scrapping the pop-punk sound he was confined to with Fall Out Boy for a more soulful approach. Since his solo debut, ‘Soul Punk’ was set back with numerous delays. Stump released a holdover extended play, ‘Truant Wave,’ to show off his chops as a different kind of singer and to keep fans from growing restless for new material.

The EP kicks off with ‘Porcelain,’ which opens with an overwhelmingly ’80s-style synthline. That segues into Stump’s smooth vocals, which come across as painfully overproduced but is a breath of fresh air from his Fall Out Boy days. Despite the heavy-handed instrumentation, Stump’s voice soars with some incredible falsetto runs. Although new at writing lyrics, Stump proves Wentz isn’t the only Fall Out Boy alumnus with a knack for witticisms.

Stump created two versions of a single song, ‘Spotlight.’ ‘Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)’ is easily the strongest track on the six-song EP. The track is far more organic than its counterpart, ‘Spotlight (New Regrets),’ which won a spot on the album due to a fan vote. The emphasis lies in the heartstring-tugging, nostalgic emotions of Stump’s singing as opposed to the piano chords or pulsing drums that make up a key role of the song’s personality. Although ‘Spotlight (Oh Nostalgia)’ was left on the cutting room floor, it sounds like a surefire radio-friendly single.

Stump’s songwriting draws several parallels to the late, great Michael Jackson, but the influences are almost forced onto the listener on ‘Cute Girls.’ Everything from Stump’s rapid-fire, staccato delivery to his constant switching to falsetto and back again sound like it came from a page ripped out of Jackson’s songbook. The track is just one moonwalk or antigravity lean away from being a full-on impersonation. Stump’s voice may draw more than a few parallels to Jackson’s, but he is still a long way from being the next King of Pop.

‘Love, Selfish Love’ has a jaunty melody that meshes well with Stump’s sing-song voice as he eases off the soul pedal and crafts a sonically aesthetic dance-floor jam. His vocals bounce up and down over ambient guitar riffs, nifty handclaps and vibrant drums, bringing some much-needed energy to the EP after the more lethargic ‘Cute Girls.’

‘As Long As I Know I’m Getting Paid’ has an almost disco-esque synthesizer that seems a little out of place. Stump’s voice oozes with swagger as he ironically sings about the money-centric nature of the music industry. Overproduction and cringe-worthy lyrics rear their ugly heads, and Stump almost completely plays second fiddle to instrumentation that is a little too much to swallow.

The EP closes in a big way with ‘Big Hype,’ a track that sounds almost orchestral. Stump’s voice rings triumphantly on the up-tempo tune and showcases his range with pride. If ‘Big Hype’ didn’t make the cut for ‘Soul Punk,’ then when the full-length album drops later this year, listeners can set the bar high for Stump’s future effort.

‘Truant Wave’ is what it is: a holdover for fans disappointed by the continued delays for the release of the full-length album. Stump shines vocally on all of the EP’s six tracks, but if he can’t get a handle on the overproduction running rampant on his early efforts, the much-too-slick sound could quickly unravel ‘Soul Punk.’

ervanrhe@syr.edu

Published on February 28, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Erik: ervanrhe@syr.edu | @therealvandyman