In 2014, the band My Chemical Romance released a song post-breakup titled “Fake Your Death” in a best hits album. The band has certainly faked their death well, because they are  surprising everyone with a new song in 2022 titled “The Foundations of Decay”

Their first album debuted in 2001, and they made three more up until 2010. They worked on various projects such as a series of singles and were even on the children’s show “Yo Gabba Gabba!” My Chemical Romance was a hit with such a large following and twelve years of music making when they broke up in March of 2013. Halloween 2019, they announced a reunion concert and later a tour that had to be pushed to 2022 due to the pandemic. Now, My Chemical Romance fans have even more to look forward to with the new song release and buzz surrounding a new album. 

A new album is risky. It’s been seen in the past by many bands like Panic! At The Disco and Fall Out Boy, where they changed trajectory and got negative reviews. Both of these bands’ newest albums came out after severe hiatus or the loss of key band members, causing a change in the music. This same fear was taken on by My Chemical Romance fans, who wanted a new album but not one that would “flop.” So far, “The Foundations of Decay” has been met with nothing but joy and positive reviews. It has a new sound while also keeping the core of what is My Chemical Romance. 

The song is lengthy, timed at exactly six minutes, however it’s worth the full listen. There has been no confirmation on the truth of it, but many people believe they have heard clips and riffs from previous My Chemical Romance songs. Sections of “The Only Hope For Me is You”, “Helena”, and “The Sharpest Lives” have been pointed out, as well as many other songs. You can glimpse at the ideas that they pulled from their past albums and put into this song. If this proves to be true, it’s a small, but smart and creative way to introduce the band back to life.

A fascinating addition to the recording process that has been revealed was a video of guitarist Frank Iero playing guitar with not a pick, but a knife. The video of Iero messing around with the knife has been going around internet platforms and it sounds different to regular guitar. Fans speculate that the band recorded much more than just “The Foundations of Decay” and that a future album may be coming, featuring Iero’s interesting way of playing guitar.

Gerard Way, the lead singer, sounds exactly as he did ten years ago. His vocals surpassed the expectations of many. Some words were hard to make out, in true pop-punk fashion, but the lyrics express a story that seasoned My Chem fans will pay attention to. 

A specific lyric that has stood out is “He was there the day the towers fell,” referring to the twin towers. It’s known that Way was there during 9/11, and that it inspired him to start the band when he decided to do something more with his life. This detail may imply that Way is the man in the song, and adds an extra layer to the storytelling that the band has always been good at throughout each of their albums. 

The band trended #1 on twitter and has reigned at the top of the Itunes chart since the release. Fans from 2001 and fans from 2021 alike have been posting and streaming in excitement. Though My Chemical Romance has been dead, their fans have stayed. The song has exceeded any expectations and has caused ex-emo’s to pull out their eyeliner. It will be interesting to see what they do next.