Why My Chemical Romance Still Haven't Released A New Album Since Getting Back Together 5 Years Ago

Few fandoms in the music genre have been as patient asMy Chemical Romancefans, partly out of necessity. The band first broke up more than a decade ago, but listeners still held out hope that one day, they may just get back together for one last run. Thankfully, the long wait actually paid off in short bursts for MCR fans.

While it’s been 11 years since My Chemical Romance disbanded, they first announced plans to reunite five years ago after a single show in Los Angeles in December 2019. That tour took another couple of years thanks to the pandemic, but when it came time, the world was reminded of our appetite for Gerard, Mikey, Frank and Ray’s collective genius. Then, two years ago, MCR dropped their first single in 10 years, and it began to feel like the reunion might herald a rebirth in real terms, with more new music.

So far, so quiet. But if fans hold out long enough, maybe they’ll finally drop that album that was supposed to come out a decade ago, too. That’s right,10 years ago, My Chemical Romance was supposed to follow upDanger Dayswith a fifth studio album that was supposed to come out- but why didn’t it? And what are the chances of a new My Chemical Romance album in the near future?

My Chemical Romance Scrapped Their 5th Album 10 Years Ago

What Became of The Paper Kingdom

In 2010, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys served as My Chemical Romance’s latest album. Due to their unexpected split three years later, this would inexplicably be their final album, but it wasn’t meant to be. Reportedly,the next album that MCR began working on, referred to asThe Paper Kingdom, was created with the intent of being the band’s official swan song. Frank Iero confirmed in a 2012 interview with Big Day Out that the band built a new studio to record their fifth album. Several songs would be written in this time, including “Fake Your Death.”

MCR would break up before completing the album in March 2013, but in October, Gerard Way revealed at the Sydney Graphic Festival that one particular song planned was about a support group of parents grieving with their children. This would’ve served as the final song on MCR 5, but this song was so dark that it put Way in a dark, depressed place. It appears thatthe album was scrapped because it just became too dark for its members to be comfortable delving into it further.

My Chemical Romance’s Only Song Since Reuniting Explained

Was “The Foundations of Decay” Supposed To Be On MCR 5?

On July 15, 2025, My Chemical Romance released “The Foundations of Decay,” their first record in years. They have not dropped another record since and, given its contents,the song could easily be considered a finale of sorts to My Chemical Romance as a whole. That’s because the song isaboutMy Chemical Romance itself. Written by Gerard Way, it chronicles the darkness he felt on 9/11, and how the moment inspired him to start MCR in hopes they would use their pain and their music to “build towers of our own.”

This song seems to have been Way’s outlet to reflect on the beginnings of My Chemical Romance, the band’s unexpected success that includeda song inWatchmen, their bittersweet ending, and looking at it all with new eyes now the band has returned. Although many reports mention “The Foundations of Decay” and its demo versions in relation toThe Paper Kingdom,the song was never meant to be a part of a proposed fifth My Chemical Romance album. The song was not written until the band’s reunion tour.

My Chemical Romance Have Focused On Touring As Well As Other Projects

Solo Projects And Tours

Before closing the door on their initial run, My Chemical Romance gracefully bowed out with a greatest hits album calledMay Death Never Stop You, released one entire year - almost to the day - that they broke up. While the album mostly consisted of beloved classics, it did boast a lead single from “Fake Your Death,” originally planned for MCR 5. It was one of four other unreleased tracks on the project.Five years later, they’d hold a reunion show in December 2019, first believed to be a one-off, expanding into a world tour.

My Chemical Romance’s announced 2020 reunion tour was paused as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. All announced dates were postponed to 2022, completing in 2023 for one last show in Japan.

My Chemical Romance would then headline the 2024 When We Were Young Festival with Fall Out Boy. They performed the entire Black Parade album before announcing a Long Live The Black Parade Tour for the US. Outside of touring, each bandmate has kept themselves busy. Most notably, Gerard Way has been writing comic books, the originalmaterial forThe Umbrella Academy. Frank Iero, meanwhile, is a member of L.S. Dunes as the rock band’s guitarist. Dunes just finished tours in the US and UK in 2023 ahead of releasing their second album in January 2025.

Have My Chemical Romance Teased A New Album?

Do They Have Time or Plans to Release a New Album?

Last month on Instagram, My Chemical Romance’s Instagram page has started to release ominous images with mysterious captions, like “Opera” and “Good Boy.” It’s unclear what these social media posts could be alluding to, butit’s being speculated that these are titles for tracks on what could be a surprise, upcoming album. It’s also worth noting that in one of these teasers, the Russian lettering has been deciphered by fans to translate to “TPK,” which could be referencingThe Paper Kingdom.

That being said, now may not be the most appropriate of times to speculate or expect the band to continue following up on these teasers in the wake of a recent tragedy. In November 2024, the band’s last full-time drummer, Bob Bryar, was found dead in his home. Although he has not been an active part of the band since 2010, Bryar was once a close friend to those involved with the band and one would assume that any proposed album in the works is likely on pause as the band grieves his loss.

What Would A New MCR Album Sound Like?

Is Foundations of Decay The Bext Example Of What To Expect From MCR In 2025 And Beyond?

As listeners do await updates whenever My Chemical Romance continues to release teasers for a speculated album, one would assume that a proposed album would sound like “The Foundations of Decay.” Sinceit’s the most recent example of their work together as a band, and it is still relatively recent at being under three years old, it could be a good indicator as to what the remainder of a hypothetical album could sound like. By proxy, assuming that such a hypothetical album is called The Paper Kingdom, will the band continue where they left off with that project?

Keep in mind that the album was deemed so dark, that working on it took a toll mentally on its members, at least it certainly did for songwriter Gerard Way. Revisiting that album could prove to be a challenge, but if MCR said no to a Twilight single, then they’re not going to do anything they don’t want to do. A modern treatment onThe Paper Kingdomcould reflect the brighter present place thatMy Chemical Romance’smembers are in today, rather than the darkness that past productions put them in 10 years ago.