Yesterday Gerard Way released his first album since the breaking up of My Chemical Romance in 2013. I always enjoyed listening to My Chemical Romance right up until the end (The Black Parade is Dead! is probably my favorite concert DVD of all time, I absolutely love their stage presence) so I was excited to hear there would still be new music post MCR.

Hesitant Alien starts with the heavily distorted “The Bureau” which chugs along overpowering the shouted vocals, and it almost sounds like something that could’ve come from Danger Days. It works well as an intro track, but the rest of the album sounds quite differently.

“Action Cat” is upbeat and peppy and Way’s vocals on the track remind me a lot of the track “Lust for Life” by Girls. I definitely like the sound. It’s quite catchy even as the guitar track continues to overpower the vocals.

The album definitely has more of a pop feel (with a bit of alt rock thrown into the mix) with tracks like “No Shows” and “Millions”, yet I enjoy it quite a bit. I love Way’s voice and it continues to be hypnotizing on this album. There are hints of MCR here and there, but there’s enough of a unique direction it’s understandable that he had to part ways with the band.

The stand out track that I can’t stop listening to from the album is “Brother”. I love the piano and steady drum beat building up to a hypnotic chorus. It’s an absolutely beautiful song, and I’m sure I’ll be listening to it over and over for quite some time.

I definitely recommend giving the album a listen whether you were a My Chemical Romance fan or not. There’s definitely a lot to like on Hesitant Aliens.