Sometimes you have to look back in order to move forward. For Electric Century--the musical duo made up of My Chemical Romance's Mikey Way and Sleep Station/New London Fire's David Debiak--it’s this dichotomy that fuels their debut full length, For The Night To Control. The album combines the formative pieces of its members’ combined histories to take the first steps into Electric Century’s bright future.



The path of Electric Century hasn’t been an easy one, but the challenges faced by Way and Debiak have only made For The Night To Control a more meaningful and satisfying release. In the aftermath of My Chemical Romance's breakup, Way found himself at a crossroads. Worn down mentally and physically by constant touring and the grinding nature of a band the scale of My Chemical Romance, Way sought a back-to-basics musical outlet, one informed by the tunes that inspired him in his youth. This desire to return to his roots brought Way back into the orbit of his long-time friend and Sleep Station/New London Fire mastermind, David Debiak. The two friends immediately began crafting a new project influenced by the synth-driven new wave and hooky Britpop that the two grew up loving, even taking the moniker Electric Century from one of the potential band names that had been scrawled onto Way’s middle school notebooks. Interest in the band grew quickly, but so did the challenges that would soon become just as impactful to Electric Century’s development.



For years Way had been struggling with drug addiction. This battle began to inadvertently inform the making of For The Night To Control as themes of death, addiction, and loss permeated the album’s lyrics and dark textures. The more Electric Century’s momentum grew, the more things began to feel out of control in Way’s personal life. Fittingly, it would be the creation of For The Night To Control that led to Way’s eventual recovery. Having flown back to New Jersey from his LA home under the pretense of finishing work on the album, Way was met by Debiak who immediately took him to a rehab facility, a crucial intercession that was the pivotal first step in Way rebuilding his life.



Despite the album's tumultuous creation, For The Night To Control exists as a means to heal and reconnect with that feeling of hearing formative music for the very first time. That spirit permeates the record, from its roots in the life-long friendship of Way and Debiak, to the album's release on New Jersey indie punk label, Panic State Records, a much needed step outside of the massive major label machine. Even the album’s mixture of gothic synths, new wave rhythms, and anthemic UK sounds pays tribute to the sense of discovery that Way and Debiak felt as kids getting their first tastes of their favorite bands. The result is an album that transcends its volatile inception and stands on its own as a cohesive and pure snapshot, one that can now be shared with listeners to provide the same much-needed catharsis that it gave its creators in their time of need.