BETTER known for his stint in charge of the emo-band My Chemical Romance, Gerard Way steps out into the solo sphere with his debut album.

At first listen, it appears that not much has changed. Way, the poster child for a generation of pasty-faced teenagers, continues to belt out over-dubbed guitar-driven catchy numbers wrapped around a voice that sounds like a cross between Blink 182 and Limp Bizkit.

But being on his own does give Way more chance to explore what, for him, could be considered unconventional avenues – and he does grab the opportunity. So there are glam-rock and fuzz elements, most notably early on in Action Cat and No Shows, while Brother sounds like a blast back to the glory days of mid-90s Britpop.

 Those who failed to check in when Way was emo’s king would swear those high-octane days had never taken place after listening to the pure-pop of single Millions. He appears to be an artist searching for re-invention and a new place in the musical universe. On the whole, he succeeds pretty well.