[2] Vocalist Patrick Stump discussed the album's creation: "Technology has made it really easy to make records much more quickly these days.
[3][4][5][6] It was also announced that the album was produced by Neal Avron, making it the first time Fall Out Boy had worked with him since Folie à Deux.
[8] According to Sarah Jamieson of DIY, "[the album] sounds closer to a continuation of their 2008 record Folie à Deux than 2018's hyper-slick Mania, there's a return to the bold, luscious pop-rock that they honed early on.
[11] Mark Beaumont of The Independent stated that "[the album contains] grandiose orchestral passages, spoken word interludes and touches of Bruno Mars funk pop dotted among the roaring angst rock...[that blends] of their various eras...[and] pulls the plug on the rise of the machines.
"[13] Writing for The Line of Best Fit, Jasleen Dhindsa stated, "So Much (For) Stardust...inflicts dynamic, theatrical and intense production values onto power pop and symphonic rock.
"[16] "Heaven, Iowa" has been described as an arena rock track that starts slow, "but blows the audience away once the massive drums and riveting guitar hit near the halfway point.
[22] The package contained another seashell marked 2 of 13 with a letter, this time printed was the date January 25, 2023, and a speculated song title "Heartbreak Feels So Good".
[28] On February 28, 2024, the band released a music video for the album’s fourth single, title track “So Much (For) Stardust”, featuring NBA player Jimmy Butler.
The band was joined by Bring Me the Horizon and Royal & the Serpent with Alkaline Trio, New Found Glory, Four Year Strong, The Academy Is..., Games We Play, Daisy Grenade, and Carr appearing for select dates.
The band was joined by Jimmy Eat World along with The Maine, Hot Mulligan, Daisy Grenade, Games We Play, and Carr appearing on select dates for this leg.
Shannon Garner writing for Clash, felt that "[the band] achieved a sound that is rigorously maintained despite the wide array of influences track-to-track.
[9] Dillon Eastoe of Dork stated, "By the time the bombastic and addictive title-track closes things out, Fall Out Boy have achieved something remarkable; that after years of fans comparing their past to their future, the two eras of the band feel reconciled.
"[41] According to Nick Ruskell of Kerrang!, "[the album] does have a foot in a past FOB, but where they're taking you is somewhere you weren't expecting...they sound like Fall Out Boy again.
"[42] Steven Loftin writing for The Line of Best Fit states, "So Much (For) Stardust's main takeaway is the palpable, radiating carefree joy.
"[44] Sputnikmusic states that producer "[Neal Avron] strips away the suffocating layers of unnecessary production which choked all life out of Mania, restoring a freeing sense of dynamics and coaxing out the best performance from Stump in more than a decade.
"[46] In June 2023, Alternative Press published an unranked list of the top 25 albums of the year to date and included this release, calling it "a refined, angry, and classic work of pop-punk gold with smart lyrics, stirring instrumentals, and the head-banging rock that fans have been clamoring for".