Over the course of his work with emo kingpins My Chemical Romance, hardcore side project Leathermouth and his lo-fi solo output, Frank Iero has gradually been positioning himself as one of the most consistent songwriters currently working within the punk rock spectrum. Even more impressively; he's done so while exploring a markedly different sound with each release.
Parachutes is as sonically removed from his scuzzy solo debut Stomachaches as that album was from Leathermouth's blistering XO. Where Stomachaches traded in the hallmarks of '90s indie-rock and Leathermouth was pure '00s hardcore, Parachutes is probably Iero's most commercial sounding release since My Chemical Romance's Three Cheers breakthrough. The production is more polished and Iero's vocals are front and centre instead of buried beneath growls or distortion.
Initially, this can lead one to dismiss the record as a lesser version of Iero's prior accomplishments. (He has never sounded quite as similar to MCR's Gerard Way as he does here.) But, a little perseverance reveals an album that is as deep, personal and distinctive as any of Iero's prior efforts. There's something both anxiously vulnerable and unrepentantly rambunctious to Iero's work on this go-around — songs like I'm A Mess and I'll Let You Down feeling both powerfully anthemic and painfully broken.
Despite a greater sense of polish and a more accessible direction, Parachutes is not as immediately accessible as Iero's earlier records, but it ultimately continues his increasingly remarkable streak of strong punk albums.
