My Chemical Romance singer Gerard Way shared a four-track EP over the weekend called Distraction Or Disrepair. The tracks are previously unreleased recordings that Way says he has been working on over the years, with several of them in various stages of completion.
Way wrote, “Hey all, with all this uncertainty I just wanted to start uploading some unreleased stuff. Just so people can check it out and have something to listen to. Just felt like sharing. I think I have a bunch of this stuff (of which) I have been recording little bits here and there over the years.”
He added, “Some of these, like 'Phoning It In,' were things that I planned on releasing as singles, and I may still do that at some point when I finish them, but I figured why not. It feels good to share. Who knows if some of this stuff would have ever come out?”
Some of the material has a punk edge and Way told us a while back that his biggest influences were acts like the Misfits and the Smiths: “Punk rock is a very empowering thing and the first punk rock band I heard was the Misfits. I never heard something that made me feel so free in my entire life, and so capable of doing anything, and being so beautiful and violent at the same time. But for lyrics, for me, like, there's just this great sense of irony and black humor that comes from the Smiths.”
In conjunction with the release, Way has asked fans to contribute to the COVID-19 Response Fund. The band has postponed its reunion tour due to the ongoing pandemic.