The Foundations of Decay

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"The Foundations of Decay"
Single by My Chemical Romance
ReleasedMay 12, 2022
Genre
Length6:00
LabelReprise
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
My Chemical Romance singles chronology
"Fake Your Death"
(2014) 		"The Foundations of Decay"
(2022)
Music video
"The Foundations of Decay" on YouTube

"The Foundations of Decay" is a song by American rock band My Chemical Romance. It is the band's first release since their reunion in October 2019 and the first single since "Fake Your Death" from their greatest hits album May Death Never Stop You (2014). The song was written by lead vocalist Gerard Way and produced by Doug McKean alongside Way and lead guitarist Ray Toro.

Background and release[edit]

Six years after the band's breakup in 2013, the band announced a reunion show on October 31, 2019, initially scheduled to be held as a one-off event in Los Angeles on December 20, 2019.[1] The band subsequently scheduled further reunion shows worldwide, including a run of summer festival shows in mainland Europe and three nights at Stadium MK in the United Kingdom, followed by a further announcement of a North American tour.[2][3]

In June 2021, Gerard Way revealed in an interview that he was working on music alongside Doug McKean, who engineered My Chemical Romance's The Black Parade and Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys.[4] The song was released on May 12, 2022 without any previous announcement.[4][5][6]

Composition[edit]

"The Foundations of Decay" is a progressive rock,[6][7] gothic rock,[8] post-hardcore,[9] and emo[6][7] song that implements elements of doom metal, basement punk, arena rock, post-metal, and metalcore.[10][11][12] The New York Times described the song as "prog-emo".[7]

The song starts with static noise, before introducing a mellow electric guitar, piano, and a "laid-back drumbeat" alongside Way's distorted vocals.[5] It then crescendos into the chorus, with Billboard describing it as a "full-blown head banger with all the anthemic force of MCR's beloved 2006 track 'Welcome to the Black Parade.'"[5] They also said that the song "surges between electric guitar-stamped rage fests and simmering moments of storytelling", with the song concluding in a "scream-filled free-for-all".[5]

The track references the September 11 attacks in the line ‘He was there, the day the towers fell, And so he wandered down the road’, referencing Way’s own experience of the day which initially inspired him to begin the band.

Personnel[edit]

Credits adapted from Tidal.[13]

My Chemical Romance

Additional

Charts[edit]

Release history[edit]

Release history for "The Foundations of Decay"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various May 12, 2022
Reprise
United States May 17, 2022 Mainstream rock radio Warner [26]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Wallis, Adam (November 1, 2019). "My Chemical Romance announces reunion show, first in 7 years". Global News. Retrieved August 14, 2020.
  2. ^ Tom Herbert; Emma Clarke (January 28, 2020). "My Chemical Romance 2020 UK tour: Milton Keynes dates, ticket information and venues". Evening Standard. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  3. ^ Wallis, Adam (January 29, 2020). "My Chemical Romance announces first North American tour in 9 years, 1 Canadian date". Global News. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Blistein, Jon (May 12, 2022). "My Chemical Romance Mark Musical Return With Six-Minute Epic 'The Foundations of Decay'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d Dailey, Hannah (May 12, 2022). "My Chemical Romance Returns With First New Song Since 2014: Listen to 'The Foundations of Decay'". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Trendell, Andrew (May 12, 2022). "Listen to My Chemical Romance's new song 'The Foundations Of Decay'". NME. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Jon Pareles; Isabelia Herrera; Giovanni Russonello; Lindsay Zoladz (May 13, 2022). "My Chemical Romance's Prog-Emo Surprise, and 12 More New Songs". The New York Times. Retrieved May 15, 2022.
  8. ^ Renshaw, David (May 13, 2022). "My Chemical Romance return with goth-rock epic "The Foundations of Decay"". The Fader. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  9. ^ Ragusa, Paolo (May 13, 2022). "Song of the Week: My Chemical Romance Return After Eight Years With "The Foundations of Decay"". Consequence. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  10. ^ Shutler, Ali (May 13, 2022). "My Chemical Romance's new song 'The Foundations Of Decay' is a fierce, fearless return". NME. Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  11. ^ Schimkowitz, Matt. "Emo gods My Chemical Romance bless your evening with first new track in eight years". AV Club. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  12. ^ Enis, Eli. "5 Great My Chemical Romance Songs for Metalheads". RevolverMag. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  13. ^ "The Foundations of Decay / Credits". Tidal. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  14. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 23 May 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1681. Australian Recording Industry Association. May 23, 2022. p. 4.
  15. ^ "My Chemical Romance Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  16. ^ "My Chemical Romance Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard.
  17. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  18. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  19. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  20. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  21. ^ "My Chemical Romance Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  22. ^ "My Chemical Romance Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  23. ^ "My Chemical Romance Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  24. ^ "My Chemical Romance Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  25. ^ "YEAR-END CHARTS: Hot Hard Rock Songs (2022)". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2023.
  26. ^ "Rock Future Releases". AllAccess. Archived from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
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