Tom DeLonge has had quite an interesting past few months, starting with his departure from Blink-182 in late January. Since then, the musician has battled rumors sparked from the falling out as well as announced plans of co-authoring more than 15 novels and releasing four albums, two each for Angels & Airwaves and his newly announced solo project. DeLonge gave fans a taste of the solo project with the appropriately titled “New World” earlier this month, and now the most recent reveal of “The Invisible Parade,” both of which will appear on To the Stars…Demos, Odds and Ends in late April.
“The Invisible Parade” is unlike any track DeLonge has released to date. It is so different, in fact, that it took several listens to form an opinion outside of awe and slight confusion. First and foremost, the track relies on acoustics to progress it as opposed to the fast, punk beats of Blink-182 and Box Car Racer or the airy, galaxy-like sounds of Angels & Airwaves.
If the change in musical composition isn’t enough to intrigue you to check out DeLonge’s latest endeavor, then his nearly unrecognizable vocal tone should be. DeLonge made a name for himself with nasally and borderline whiny vocals in his past projects, but none of that is present in “The Invisible Parade.” He delivers a crisp, clean track that’s very calm, cool, collected and any other appropriate “c” adjective you can think of to prove that this is a whole new, mellowed-out approach. He’s so nonchalant about these changes, however, that the bridge between the second and final verse is a lot of “ooh-ooh-ooh-ing” and “la-da-di-da-ing” over that acoustic guitar—another un-DeLonge-like take on a track.
While there’s nothing wrong with the track in terms of how it sounds, it definitely seems better suited as a Dashboard Confessional B-side than on a Tom DeLonge solo project debut. The only obvious inkling of DeLonge, lyrics wise, is a dropped F-bomb 60 seconds in. Despite the slow, calming tone, the song’s lyrics are a metaphor for a man at literal war, and with his figurative inner demons as shown in the aforementioned first verse: “All laid over / This pain will drown out the sun / Mother, I’m coming home / But the war has just begun / All the boys will await the arising tide / On a pier with a traveled gun / I like the adrenaline, it’s like a f***ing drug / Mother, I’m coming home.”
It isn’t surprising that DeLonge would execute a drastic change in his music for this new project given recent events, but it will certainly take some time to adapt. To the Stars…Demos, Odds and Ends will be released April 21st, but listeners will receive a third preview with another single April 6—presumably with another lyric video like its predecessors, showcasing DeLonge carrying around a smashed electric guitar. The album’s pre-order packages are available now on DeLonge’s official site.