Earlier this year, Fall Out Boy released their sixth album, American Beauty/American Psycho, making one thing abundantly clear: this is a band that has matured past their Chicago punk roots and embraced an ambitious sound that proves they’re still very much influencing the landscape of modern rock music.

That was a welcome reassurance for fans after the band took an uncertain, three-year hiatus a few years ago. After regrouping in 2013, it took some time for FOB to find their footing again —but bassist Pete Wentz admits going through a rebirth was but a positive thing for the band.

Wentz graces the current cover of Notion magazine, and spoke to the mag about Fall Out Boy’s ever-changing sound and how the band’s infamous break-up affected their vision.

“So much of it was a hazy experience, so much of it happened too fast!” he said of the hiatus. “You don't realize that the ups would end, or that the downs would end, too. That perspective has been really helpful the second time around.

“Now we're like Fall Out Men. That would be the tagline,” he continued. “I think we've realized that there are people that we want in our lives, and people that we perhaps don't. We have such a better handle on it now.”

That progressively-focused outlook is affecting FOB’s new music, Wentz said. The struggle, though, is taking risks with their music while still keeping true to their original spirit. It’s something that any band would understandably struggle with after almost 15 years together, and one of the reasons why Wentz admitted recording new material is “terrifying.”

“The new stuff is definitely different. When we were recording the new album my friends would say 'Oh you should do something like 'Dance Dance' or 'Is it going to sound like [From Under The] Cork Tree?' and I was like 'No! We can't do that'. What's the point making something that sounds like something we've already done? But at the same time... you want to remind people of the spirit of your music, not do something that was a direct replication of that. So it was kind of terrifying.”

One unexpected avenue FOB could take with their new tunes is following through with one of Wentz’s dream collaborators… both of which may surprise you.

“We did this Victoria's Secret show with Taylor [Swift] and she sang ‘Light Em Up’ with us. She is very in demand though, isn't she?” he said. “I wouldn't hold my breath. She was so sweet. I'd really like to do something cool with Rihanna.”

SAME, Pete. Same. Rih’s currently keeping the whole planet on its toes awaiting the release of R8, so maybe an FOB collab is the inspiration she needs to finally get that ball rolling? We can dream…