Review: Gerard Way’s “Hesitant Alien”
–Written by Kevin Madert
In high school, Gerard Way got me. I was a totally normal kid with totally normal issues, but of course at the time I was the only person who’d ever felt confused, the sole target of all the world’s ire, and the first guy to ever like a girl who didn’t like him back. The singular constant in my whirling dervish of pubescent emotion was music, and Way’s band My Chemical Romance became one of my most frequented therapists. I’d slam my bedroom door, grab my first generation iPod Nano, and let Way’s tortured tones echo atop the distorted crunch of those quintessential mid-2000s emocore riffs, washing my latest crisis away.
Nearly a decade later, MCR is no more and Mr. Way has done what any sensible frontman with an intact set of pipes would, embarking upon a career of his own with the release of Hesitant Alien. His solo debut often listens like a toned back version of My Chem’s final full-length Danger Days; it’s a melding of post-punk, glam rock, and Britpop without all the unabashed theatrics and album-long conceptualizations that defined MCR’s later work. Producer Doug McKean – who worked with fellow longtime My Chem collaborator Rob Cavallo on both Danger Days and The Black Parade – serves as the album’s producer, assisting Way in combining the driving, constant aural progression MCR had perfected with the sonic tendencies of groups ranging from David Bowie to The Smiths. McKean’s influence is most apparent on tracks like “Brother” and lead single “No Shows,” – both of which could have served as Danger Days b-sides.
Much of Hesitant Alien breaks down like this. While Way is a master of reinvention, it’s clear he’s content with taking a small first step away from band leadership rather than diving headfirst into wholly uncharted waters. This doesn’t mean the album lacks; it brims with energy and often sports an edge as equally polished as it is jagged. The detuned riffs and shoegaze breakdowns on “Juarez” are as chaotic as the shades of Oasis “Drugstore Perfume” (the very next track) is restrained.
I won’t mince words or hide my predispositions: Hesitant Alien is a solid album. It’s just familiar enough to keep longtime listeners interested and just new enough to garner fresh attention, and Way seems to belt out every lyric with one foot in the past and the other planted forward with conviction. Even though he doesn’t reinvent any wheels, Way decidedly reaffirms his hold on the ground where he’s stood for fifteen years – and does so with a confidence that should keep it firmly in his grasp for the next fifteen.
Hesitant Alien is out now via Reprise Records. Grab a copy here and check out the official video for “No Shows” below.