Reunited emo figureheads My Chemical Romance shocked their fanbase yesterday, dropping their first single in eight long years, ‘The Foundations of Decay,’ produced by vocalist Gerard Way, Doug McKean and lead guitarist Ray Toro. The six-minute, spiralling saga enters the world as the band prepares to embark on a reunion tour throughout Europe and North America

The introduction is sinister, correlating with the track’s lyrical references to 9/11, which vocalist Way witnessed in 2001. The trauma of that tragedy is something that led Way to music, which he alludes with, “We would all build towers of our own.” The song also navigates MCR’s reunion in a changed music realm, questioning whether or not they care to return to the fanfare of their past. The release is accompanied by a video visual, wherein a scenery of obscure darkness cluttered with flies expands as the song reaches its crashing climax.

We’re getting reacquainted with an aged, soulful My Chemical Romance, without having lost their famed, theatrical emo-rock sound, characterized by gritty hardcore riffs and Way’s still-harrowing screams.

This is the emo group’s first release since 2014’s ‘Fake Your Death,’ after which MCR seemingly vanished as a collective. Way later revealed that making music had lost its amusing lustre and that they weren’t willing to continue on for the sake of continuing on. Luckily, they seem to have found their shine once again.

The release arrives as the band kicks off their journey through the UK and Ireland, celebrating their comeback at the Eden Project, UK on May 16. The band will then make their way to Ireland, with performances in Dublin on May 24 and 25 at Royal Hospital Kilmainham alongside support from Gayle and Starcrawler.

Stream ‘The Foundations of Decay’ now. Tickets to My Chemical Romance at Dublin’s Royal Hospital Kilmainham are on sale via Ticketmaster.