The highly anticipated My Chemical Romance tour may have been put on hold for the time being due to concerns regarding the coronavirus outbreak, however the band’s frontman Gerard Way is finding a way to keep fans satisfied with the release some of his solo demos. Way premiered four demos titled “Phoning It In,” “Welcome to the Hotel,” Success!,” and “Crate Amp_2,” on his SoundCloud yesterday, which were originally intended to be singles at one point, although the artist says they may or may not eventually be formally released.
“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,” he wrote, adding, “I’m just winging it, keeping it casual.”
“Phoning It In” is an upbeat rock song with catchy guitar chords a steady drum beat and Way’s iconic voice, channeling some elements of early 2000s alternative rock.
“Welcome to The Hotel” takes a more experimental approach with heavily distorted synth sounds, channelling some elements of early Animal Collective as Way sings “Welcome to the hotel” repeatedly during its brief 40 second run time. “Success” continues an alternative electronica sound with electronically altered vocal overlays throughout its 14 second run.
“Crate Amp _2” is even more more raw demo featuring some distorted acoustic guitar chords which serve as a rough sketch of a punk inspired recording.
The band originally broke up around 2013, however they reunited last year for the first time in several years during a reunion show at the Hollywood Palladium, in Los Angeles. The band were originally set to perform at the Download festivals in Australia and Japan, however those performances have been postponed.
Way has also released solo material during the band’s hiatus, which include the song “Baby You’re A Haunted House,” and a faithful cover of the Turtles’ hit “Happy Together.” Way was also set to score the film Clerks 3.