My Chemical Romance are back with their first new single in eight years! “The Foundations Of Decay” finds the melodic rockers mixing their original dark, dramatic sound with heavier guitars and a more progressive, grunge-y, industrial vibe. The guitars go from an early Foo Fighters sound during the verses to heavy, slushy riffs during the breakdown. It’s a bit of a new direction, but one that feels like an easy next step from where they left off.
Produced by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way and guitarist Ray Toro, as well as Doug McKean (who also acted as recording engineer), “The Foundations Of Decay” is the band’s first new track since they released “Fake Your Death,” originally recorded for a scrapped fifth album, on their greatest hits album, May Death Never Stop You, in 2014. The band released their last studio album, Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys, in 2010.
The new song was an unexpected surprise from My Chemical Romance, whose reunion up until now had only consisted of live shows. After breaking up in 2013, the band announced in 2019 that they would be reuniting. They played a successful show in Los Angeles in December that year and were set to embark on a full tour before the pandemic put a wrench in it twice.
This isn’t the first time members of My Chemical Romance have embraced a harder sound. Earlier this year, Gerard Way contributed vocals to Ibaraki’s new single “Rōnin.”
My Chemical Romance will be starting said reunion tour in England on May 16, taking them through the UK and Europe into June. A North American leg will begin on August 20 and will also include festival appearances at Riot Fest, When We Were Young, Aftershock and Firefly, among others. Most of the band’s tour dates can be found on their website.
Listen to “The Foundations Of Decay” below:
