Stomachaches

A record born out of physical frustration, Stomachaches is the debut solo release by New Jersey singer/songwriter Frank Iero, best known as a founding member of alt-rock giants My Chemical Romance and frontman for Leathermouth and Death Spells. When the painful digestive problems that had long plagued him began to dramatically increase in late 2012, Iero fought back against his stomach pains and nausea by setting up a makeshift studio in his basement and pitting his creative will against his illness. Every time he began to feel a bout of stomach pains coming on, he retreated to his studio and worked out new ideas with no real aim except to distract himself. Months later, he had a spate of strong, very personal material that was unlike any of his previous projects. Playing nearly all of the instruments himself, Iero enlisted former MCR touring drummer Jarrod Alexander to help him finish off the album that would appropriately be called Stomachaches. Passionate, and slightly unruly, the 12-song album deals with themes of yearning for acceptance and love, sung over a backdrop of compelling, often ramshackle punk and post-hardcore guitar rock. It nicely blends the spontaneous charm of a homemade record with the professionalism expected from a rock veteran who made something good out of a tough situation. ~ Timothy Monger