Since the split of My Chemical Romance in 2013, fans all over the world have been twiddling their thumbs, eagerly awaiting new material. After almost a year of waiting, Gerard Way debuted solo album Hesitant Alien to a packed out tent at Reading festival 2014.

Hesitant Alien – a strange but apt name for Gerard’s first solo album. Like many fans, I was apprehensive (some may say hesitant) to give this a listen, but when he streamed it I couldn’t help myself and I can’t say I regret it. ‘Bureau’ opens the album with riffs that Hendrix himself would be proud of. Each song sounds completely different to the last and if you were to compare some songs, for example ‘No Shows’ and ‘Get the gang together’, it’s hard to believe that they are by the same artist. This is what makes it such a powerful album, there’s something in there for everyone, meaning that is appeals to a wider audience than the angsty teenage fanbase that he has acquired from My Chemical Romance.

Unlike some albums that have been released recently, where every track sounds similar, Hesitant Alien has immense variety, resulting in you being able to listen to it over and over and not get bored or fed up with it. Gerard has successfully combined elements of Britpop, Grunge, Pop-Punk and Rock to create a glam packed shiny new album,that musically puts MCR to shame. Whilst listening I am reminded of Kasabian, Oasis and The Fratellis. I appreciate how crazy this sounds considering I’m talking about the king of emo, but listen for yourselves. It’s true!

When the frontman goes solo in any band, it’s almost impossible to escape the reputation of their old band, and understandably so. However I feel like for Gerard Way things could be different. This album was his chance to prove himself as a solo artist and he hasn’t taken it lightly. Hesitant Alien goes completely against My Chemical Romance’s angsty rock round, and although there are hints of MCR and the darkness that they entail, this album brings a much more sophisticated style and variety of songs, thus showing the diverse talent of Gerard Way. All in all, it shouldn’t be difficult for Gerard Way to escape his reputation as emo icon and I’m sure that after everyone’s heard this, his fanbase will be stronger than ever. I think very highly of this album and hope to catch Gerard on his November tour.

Zoe Cameron