Former guitarist for The Smiths, Johnny Marr, will finally release his first ever solo album.  Titled The Messenger, the album is slated for release on  February 26th, 2013.

After living in Portland, OR for several years, Marr decided to record The Messenger in Manchester and Berlin, saying, “The underlying idea of the record is my experience of living in Britain.” Using the city of Manchester’s “beauty, energy, and stories” as inspiration, Marr wrote, produced, and mixed the album on his own.

When asked why he chose to release a solo album now, he said:

“I didn’t want to be in someone else’s band at this point. In the past I might have been reluctant to stand up front, and I’ve been lucky enough to be in bands with great singers, so it wasn’t necessary. But this is my band now, and the frontman in my band has to play guitar. I do both.”

Widely regarded as one of the world’s top guitarists, Marr is no stranger to causing headlines. A highly publicized feud between band members Marr and Morrissey led to The Smiths’ break up, after which Marr bounced around between bands like The The, Electronic, and the aptly named super group 7 Worlds Collide. This will, however, be the first time fans get to experience his music entirely as he envisioned.