Whilst the rawr-ing twenties with the return of My Chemical Romance will have to wait a little bit, Frank Iero took the time to release more solo music with The Future Violents in the shape of Heaven Is A Place, This Is A Place – the companion piece to 2019’s full-length Barriers.
With three new tracks and a cover the EP is split into two parts. Side A delivers a rougher and tougher melody with desperate lyrics and vocals as well as heavier riffs. Both Violence and Sewer Wolf combine bluesy chords with ferocious vocals. Side A definitely sees Iero at his most scathing yet both lyrically and vocally, as he demands “Your violence feels like kisses to me, your silence makes it harder to breathe, your distance feels like I’m not enough… I need your touch.” in Violence.
And whilst you’re recovering from the kick in the jaw of the first two tracks, Side B comes knocking softly on the door with Iero’s stripped back cover of R.E.M.’s classic Losing My Religion. Bandmate Kayleigh Goldsworthy’s airy backing vocals add a feathery touch to the cover but never losing its desperation.
The final track is wittily titled Record Ender and does a perfect job at just that, combining some of the earlier energy with the calmer side of the cover. The six-and-a-half minute track has us full on emo and the big chorus practically begs for a sing along.
In summary, Iero may not have reinvented the wheel (does it always have to be though?) but he’s still given us an EP that will find its place nicely amongst Barriers, Parachutes and more. And more, what Heave Is A Place, This Is A Place does is remind us what a genuinely talented songwriter Frank Iero is; way past My Chemical Romance. As excited as we are for MCR’s return, we sure hope we still get to witness this songwriting craft and Iero’s solo projects in the future.
High Fives & Stage Dives 