Released after a lengthy absence, this album saw the band take a new direction into a more strutting, electro-infused, ultimately mainstream type of rock. Then last year saw the unveiling of Conventional Weapons, an album recorded in the aforementioned absence- and in a period of artistic uncertainty for the group. It really was the 'missing link' between the totally contrasting styles demonstrated in Black Parade and Danger Days. The band's evolution was now clear, and would have no doubt continued were it not for their break-up in 2013. But break up they did, with Danger Days as their last 'sound'. And it seems that lead singer Gerard Way was a particular fan of this style, as he has largely adopted it for his solo debut, Hesitant Alien. Don't, however, press play expecting to hear My Chemical Romance. The voice is the same, as are some of the key musical aspects, but this isn't the band you once knew and loved. And I'm sorry to say this, but it isn't as good.
The album opens with The Bureau, a mess of distorted guitar and lolloping rhythm. As an opener to Way's glorious future as a solo act, it doesn't give one much hope. Then, after a slow fade into a dial tone which makes no sense in the context of the song, comes Action Cat. This is where that similarity to Danger Days first makes itself apparent, with the same blend of pop-rock and an attempt at 80's punk clamour. It does for the album what The Bureau should have done: it sets the tone, the feel, the energy. It's no wonder it was chosen as lead single. It feels Britpop, it feels punky, it feels good. At its finest moments, that's how this album presents itself- whether it's in the noise and spitting riffs of Juarez, or the reflective piano beat and soaring chorus of Brother, there are solid roots in 90's Britain and 80's punk, with some 70's glam rock thrown in for good measure. Way has endeavoured to combine David Bowie with Oasis with The Clash with My Chemical Romance- an excellent mix, by anyone's standards.
But that's the good songs. Some of the tracks on Hesitant Alien aren't that good. None of them are bad, but they just lack a certain spark. The sort of spark that MCR had in spades. Real attitude. For all its low-fi distortion and discordant chaos, the album as a whole is a bit of a poser, the musical equivalent of those girls who have 20/20 vision but choose to wear glasses anyway, because nerd-chic is, like, totally in. Songs like How It's Going To Be or No Shows are devoid of feeling. They try, bless them, but they perhaps try a little too hard. And none of the songs have any punch- at best, they feel like the more lacklustre tracks on Danger Days, content to drift by nonchalantly, unmotivated by the social change that their forefathers on Three Cheers and The Black Parade had the power to cause.
Don't get me wrong, it's a good album. Were it a solo release by a new artist, it may even be great. There are some wonderful tunes on there, and it's not going to be removed from my iPod any time soon. But there was no way that Hesitant Alien wasn't going to be compared to My Chemical Romance's imposingly excellent discography and, against those lofty heights, I'm afraid it really doesn't stack up. 3.5/5