The current social distancing climate has artists turning to new ways of staying connected to fans, whether through Twitch or Instagram live, releasing cover songs, or in the case of Fall Out Boy’s Joe Trohman, dropping an entire animated series.
The FOB guitarist has released all 10 episodes of his animated series “Mondo Trasho 3042,” which were created with his friends Wade Randolph and Spencer Berman. Trohman kept the soundtrack in the FOB family, with music written by himself with singer Patrick Stump and bassist Pete Wentz producing. They considered pitching it around, but decided to release it for everyone’s stuck-at-home enjoyment instead.
The animated series follows the fictional band Mondo Trasho, which includes a murderous alien-fish creature and a robot, in the year 3042. The intro of each episode sums up the show’s tone and humor perfectly, “We’re Mondo Trasho. We’re a band. We should break up.”
Mondo Trasho face the typical trials and tribulations of any up-and-coming band – unwelcomed girlfriends, stolen gear, late-night Denny’s meals (which still exist in 3042), creepy fans, and getting kidnapped by a cannibalistic marauder gang … and other things every band worth its salt has faced.
This release comes after Fall Out Boy, along with Green Day and Weezer, postponed European dates of their Hella Mega Tour due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Elsewhere, Wentz has kept busy with his Cheap Cuts spoken word collaboration “Check Your Phone,” and in an interview with NME toyed with the idea of a solo album. “Are we going to be in our houses for another six months?,” he said “If we are, there’s going to be an album.”
In the meantime, catch the entire “Mondo Trasho 3042” series on YouTube.