With My Chemical Romance’s reunion tour currently delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, Gerard Way surprised fans with the release of some unfinished solo material the singer had been working on.
“I’m calling all of this stuff Distraction Or Despair, since that seems to be the two things I keep shifting between. Probably a lot of other people too,” Way said of the four songs on Instagram Saturday. “But I think only some of the tracks are tied to an ‘album’ of that name. I’m just winging it, keeping it casual.”
The four songs, uploaded onto Soundcloud, range from 14-second sound experiments (“Success!”) to the near-complete “Phoning It In,” which Way said he envisioned as a solo single.
The singer also detailed each the history of each track on the song’s respective SoundCloud pages: “Crate Amp 2” is Way “messing around with this Crate amp I got off of Reverb for cheap,” while the Stooges-inspired “Welcome to the Hotel” is something Way envisioned for the release of his comic series Umbrella Academy Volume Three: Hotel Oblivion.
“With all this uncertainty I just wanted to start uploading some unreleased stuff. Just so people can check it out and have something to listen to. Just felt like sharing,” Way added. “It feels good to share. Who knows if some of this stuff would have ever come out?” Way also encouraged fans to contribute to the COVID-19 Response Fund.
Following My Chemical Romance’s comeback show in Los Angeles, the band were forced to postpone their Japan tour dates and cancel Australian and New Zealand festivals due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The reunited band’s North American trek, beginning in September, remains on the schedule for now.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-kuORqpAFK
