10 things My Chemical Romance members did during the hiatus

November 5, 2019

After breaking our cold, dark hearts in 2013 and then giving us a panic attack in 2016, My Chemical Romance have proved our patience to be worthwhile by announcing their long-awaited return.

While we retired our Black Parade flags, the MCR members stayed busy both in and out of the music industry. From writing comic books that would later be adapted into Netflix series to touring with Waterparks, find out what all went down during what felt like the world’s longest hiatus.

1. Mikey Way played bass for Waterparks

No, we’re not joking. Mikey Way played bass on the band’s Cluster EP. So, when Geoff Wigington suffered an injury to his arm in 2016, he was a natural fill-in. The band recruited Mikey for their European tour run in 2016 as well as on two dates of Warped Tour in 2018, which they chatted about with AltPress further here.

2. Gerard Way debuts his solo album ***Hesitant Alien*, releases solo singles**

In 2014, Gerard Way revealed he had signed to Warner Records as a solo artist. His album Hesitant Alien was released in September of the same year. Things remained quiet for about two years before Gerard released “Baby You’re A Haunted House” in October 2018. The track featured former MCR bandmate and brother Mikey on bass. At the time of release, Gerard confirmed he was working on his first album in four years. The following month, “Getting Down The Germs” was released, which happened to be co-written by another former MCR member, Ray Toro.

3. Frank Iero continues his musical endeavors

In 2014, Frank Iero released his debut solo album, Stomachaches, under the name frnkiero andthe cellabration. His musical project would later undergo a couple of name changes, including Frank Iero And The Patience and current Frank Iero And The Future Violents.

4. Mikey Way forms electronic-pop band Electric Century

Mikey remained without a band following the MCR hiatus for just over a year until forming Electric Century with Sleep Station vocalist David Debiak. They released their first song in February 2014 titled “I Lied” while also being featured in AP’s “100 Bands You Need To Know” feature that same month. In 2015, the band released their self-titled EP before debuting the album For The Night To Control in 2016.

5. Mikey Way is featured in a Good Charlotte video

Marking the band’s first single since their hiatus, Good Charlotte dropped “Makeshift Love” in November 2015. Soon after, they released a video that featured Mikey, John Feldmann, Waterparks and more.

6. Ray Toro tackles the solo career

Like his fellow MCR bandmates, Ray Toro had a solo career run starting with the track “Isn’t That Something,” which he posted to SoundCloud in May 2013. In January 2015, he released another track titled “For The Lost And Brave.” Toro released his debut solo album, Remember The Laughter, in November 2016 and likened the songwriting to MCR by “hunting for interesting melodies that stick.”

7. Mikey Way contributes to Andy Black’s solo album

In 2016, Black Veil Brides vocalist Andy Biersack released his debut solo album, The Shadow Side, under the name Andy Black. Mikey contributed bass to two tracks on the album, “We Don’t Have To Dance” and “Louder Than Your Love,” with the latter being co-written by Gerard. Following his debut release, Black hit the APMAs stage with a supergroup consisting of Mikey, Quinn Allman (ex-the Used), Feldmann and Christian Coma of BVB.

8. MCR give us a reunion heart attack in 2016

On July 20, 2016, emos around the world were sent into a panic after the band posted a video on social media featuring the piano intro to “Welcome To The Black Parade.” The video concluded with the date 9/23/16, which lead many to believe a potential reunion was happening. Instead, a reissue of The Black Parade featuring some unreleased demos was announced. We only had to carry on for three more years…

9. Ray Toro and Gerard Way release “Happy Together” cover

In February 2019, Gerard released a cover of the Turtles’ “Happy Together” ahead of The Umbrella Academy’s debut. The cover featured Toro and even appeared in the Netflix adaptation.

10. Gerard Way’s The Umbrella Academy hits Netflix

Continuing his descent into the world of comics, Netflix gave the green light to turn one of Gerard’s into an adapted series in July 2017. Featuring stars such as Ellen Page and Mary J. Blige, season 1 hit streaming in February 2019. A second season officially in the works with filming currently underway.