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Former My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way has unveiled his first piece of solo material, debuting his solo track, titled Action Cat. The track was produced by My Chemical Romance collaborator Doug McKean and will feature on Way’s upcoming solo album.
Reports NME, the forthcoming album features Gerard on vocals, guitar and keyboard plus The Aquabats‘ Ian Fowles on guitar, Matt Gorney on bass and Jarrod Alexander on drums. Gerard’s brother Mikey, who is also a MCR member contributes backing vocals.
Earlier this year, Way announced that he had signed to Warner Bros Records as a solo artist, launched his own website and revealed that his debut album is nearing completion. “I am continuing full-steam into comics, art, and more importantly to some of you- music,” he wrote on his website.
Way also recently wrote and drew another comic strip for The Talkhouse, entitled Twitter which stars a pair of anthropomorphised cats. It is not clear yet whether said cats also inspired the title of his new track.
My Chemical Romance officially announced their split in 2013 and speaking to Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1 this week, Way said the breakup was “nobody’s fault”. “It wasn’t an easy thing to come to. It was sad, because it wasn’t a situation where anybody hated each other,” said the musician. “I think because it was so special and it was such an amazing thing… to keep going and let it rust out on the rails? That was not the way that band was supposed to go out.”
Of the new material, Way said the album was inspired by the music that he listened to when he was leaving high school which included britpop acts Blur, Pulp and Teenage Fanclub. “A lot of it is discovering my place in music, which is that I don’t exactly fit in – which is a good thing… it’s about positive alienation,” he said.
Frances Bean Cobain, the daughter of Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain, is reportedly a fan of the new material, telling NME it’s the best music Way has ever produced. “It’s gritty, stripped down, raw and lyrically poetic in a way he hasn’t explored before,” said Cobain, a friend of Way’s. “It’s gonna knock people on their asses, whether it’s a positive reaction or not.”
Listen: Gerard Way – Action Cat
