Best known as the guitarist and vocalist of iconic emo band My Chemical Romance (and later hardcore punk outfit Leathermouth), Frank Iero has returned this year with a brand new full-length record under the name of his solo venture Frank Iero and the Patience (formerly known as ‘frnkiero andthe cellabration’). Released on October 28th, Parachutes marks the second album from Iero and the band following 2014’s Stomachaches. Taking a new direction this time around, the record strays slightly from the heavier hardcore elements of the band’s earlier release and incorporates a punk-infused emo vibe that life-long fans will certainly appreciate.
World Destroyer opens the record with a riff-heavy intro that sustains throughout, broken up by timely bursts of aggressive screams and emotive vocal work. Veins! Veins!! Veins!!! comes next, taking the form of a traditional yet powerful punk track that fades out into chanted vocals and distorted guitars. Even from just these first two songs, there’s a clear throwback to MCR’s debut within Iero’s vocals, but the album itself doesn’t fail to incorporate an ingenious spark of originality. While I’m A Mess plays advocate for hardcore influences, They Wanted Darkness… marks an entirely different sound altogether, starting out with a bass-heavy indie atmosphere before treading into the depths of emo territory.
Sticking with this theme, I’ll Let You Down boasts a soft melancholic undertone which, accompanied by Iero’s droning vocal efforts, would sit more than comfortably on an Honorary Title record. Remedy presents the band at their finest as the signature Iero guitar sound creeps in beautifully alongside an infectious chorus, before the album follows in the footsteps of Fall Out Boy and Panic! At The Disco with the punk-fueled and ridiculously long-titled Dear Percocet, I Don’t Think We Should See Each Other Anymore. Despite echoes of Iero’s previous efforts taking a front seat on a number of tracks, there are a few unexpected gems hidden within the album, and Miss Me is definitely one of the best, taking the form of a bittersweet folk-punk masterpiece. You can certainly expect crowds to be singing along to this one.
Oceans is another highlight, marking the first single release from Parachutes and sparking the following statement from the band’s frontman: “Oceans was a song that’s infancy started right after Stomachaches came out. I remember messing with it and thinking damn this would have been a fun one to play live. Flash forward two years later and it became one of my favourites off the new record.” Nearing the end of the album, traditional emo rock takes the front seat again in The Resurrectionist, or An Existential Crisis in C#, before Viva Indifference plays around with simplistic pop punk riffs and a strong bass line throughout. Finally, album closer 42164 treats the listener to the most emotive and gut-wrenching track of Iero’s career so far, beginning with a haunting, melodic guitar effort and nostalgic lyrical themes, before bursting into an amalgamation of powerful screams and heavy, sorrowful riffs.
Frank Iero and the Patience will be returning to the UK in February next year in support of Taking Back Sunday. Tickets are available here.
...incorporating a punk-infused emo vibe that life-long fans will certainly appreciate.
No Comments