On the occasion that a lead vocalist of a rock band puts out a solo album, it usually follows the news of a disbandment. But the following five albums were put out by iconic frontmen who remained with their bands, even as they dabbled with new sounds.
‘Phrazes for the Young’ by Julian Casablancas
Julian Casablancas released his solo album in November 2009, and while he has since expressed regret at the way he made it, fans still regard it with cult favoritism. Phrazes for the Young is an eight-track offering that features a more pop-leaning electronic sound than Casablancas was doing with The Strokes. His frustration with the project stemmed from what he felt was its watered-down style. He felt he had “all these different ideas” for the record, but eventually played it too safe out of fear of people not taking it seriously.
“Maybe it became this ‘oh, this is what he does when he’s on his own’ vs. The Strokes, and that was annoying, frustrating,” Casablancas said in 2019. For many of his fans, though, the album remains a classic gem.
‘The Desired Effect’ by Brandon Flowers
In May 2015, Brandon Flowers released his second solo album, The Desired Effect, which has a much more thematically pop-oriented vibe than The Killers. The band always has its moments of theatricality, of course. But Flowers’ solo work takes that essence and expands it with mainstream pop elements. It’s a dramatic shift from indie rock vocalist to the 80s synth-pop style on The Desired Effect. But Brandon Flowers made it work.
The album earned favorable reviews and praise from critics for its catchy hooks and big, anthemic tracks. Pretty much the entire album sounds like it was made to echo through a stadium, with loud, bright vocals, crashing percussion, and airy, bubbly synth.
‘Hesitant Alien’ by Gerard Way
Gerard Way released his debut solo album, Hesitant Alien, in September 2014 after My Chemical Romance’s 2013 disbandment. His solo work is loose and varied in a way that MCR often isn’t. As if this allowed him to dabble in a project that didn’t have to be so strictly cohesive. Hesitant Alien is as refreshing as it is familiar, with hints of Way’s more playful vocal style from Danger Days. The album was received favorably, with both fans and critics praising the stylistic experimentation.
It has elements of post-punk, glam rock, and even shoegaze, making it a melting pot of influences that shows off Way’s wide array of musical interests without the barrier of elaborate concept.
‘Chaos for the Fly’ by Grian Chatten
Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten released his debut solo album, Chaos for the Fly, in June 2023. It serves as a darkly poetic departure from the band’s work. Chatten’s solo work dwells in synth and drum machine, stewing in a moody atmosphere.
This starkly contradicts the energy of Fontaines D.C. Here, Chatten exercised his lyrical muscles, letting himself get personal, introspective, and vulnerable. He brought that energy to the band’s 2024 breakthrough album, Romance, pursuing more intricate imagery and poetic language.
‘Heavy Metal’ by Cameron Winter
Geese frontman Cameron Winter dropped his debut solo album, Heavy Metal, in December 2024, almost a year before Geese conquered the world. This album not only shows off Winter’s command of language in his lyrics, but also his use of cadence and diction. There’s something Bob Dylan-esque about his delivery, the way he keeps pushing phrases out of his mouth like they’re all attached by a string. He’s the magician’s handkerchief of vocalists.
Lyrically, he’s occasionally absurd, borderline nonsensical. But these lyrics are always delivered with such a devotional earnestness that they somehow end up making perfect sense.
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