An obscure era just prior to grunge and Britpop of the 90s, while also drawing on these post-shoegaze movements. The album fits perfectly into the shoegazing genre. Hesitant Alien was the result, and it did not disappoint. It came as no surprise to me then that after the band split, Way would be back with solo material. Anyone who was a childhood of the naughties will have at some point, fallen under the rebellious greebo spell, mostly likely with earphones in and The Black Parade blasting until it deafened you. Had I known that it would’ve been a rarity to see the charismatic former My Chemical Romance (MCR) frontman live, I would have made it my priority to go. I can feel the emotion behind whatever story is being told, and I want to follow it all.Back in 2015, I had the chance to go and see Gerard Way at the O2 Academy in Birmingham. (You must understand I am not an emotional person.) I want to understand this woman. It stands out to me because it makes me empathetic. The sound is sweeping and hollow, I like it. I believe it follows a single mother or at least a lonely woman. “Drugstore Perfume:” It’s the first song I heard from the album, Gerard Way even. I cannot wait to hear what he comes up with next. Gerard Way took a big leap by changing the sound and being so honest about himself. Imagine how easy it would be to just make another My Chem album, just a bit different. I love this album because of how much of a risk it was. Then all of your solo work can fully tackle everything else. For a solo debut, it makes sense to deal with your own ego and then move on. He’s just as freaking confused as the rest of us. Along with the shift in sound, Gerard Way made a big shift in themes. He is an alien in his own world.Ĭompared to the work done in My Chemical Romance, this album is much more self-reflective, in my opinion. He is a hesitant person who is constantly thinking about the contradictions around him. He is definitely a social extrovert, where he can thrive amongst people. I imagine that he is an introvert, who is a bit awkward but has been thrust into superstardom because of the career he chose. “Hesitant Alien” feels centered around how Gerard exists in this millennial/modern world. But in “Hesitant Alien,” we only see Gerard and how he sees the world. The band was a mythical figure in the music world, ranging from moody punkers to post-apocalyptic revolutionaries. When he was in My Chemical Romance, he put a lot of work into building a persona. Gerard Way is very much himself in this album. No song sticks out as terrible, and there a few that stick out as amazing. Every song fits right in with the rest of the album. He basically went and made the exact music I have loved all my life. “Hesitant Alien” is an answer to my cries. Only until I was half-told, half-forced to listen to harder rock did I gain an appreciation for it.
Anything with screaming was an instant turn off. For a long time, I never liked hard rock. For someone who appreciates well composed lyrics and softer rock, this album is great. (Don’t worry, I will be going back through their discography and will have something written very soon.) I want to understand Gerard Way’s work from every aspect. Since then, I have listened to some of My Chemical Romance. It was not until I had met my girlfriend that I learned that he was a punk rock legend long before he made his solo debut. This album first piqued my interest when I saw the interesting looking ginger man on the cover and the familiar name in the upper left corner.įor the longest time, this was the only thing I knew from Gerard Way. If someone mentioned his name, I recognized it. I always knew that Gerard Way was a musician. Before “Hesitant Alien”, I had never heard any My Chemical Romance before.