Billy Howerdel made What Normal Was by trying to send a record backward in time to the teenager he used to be, the kid finding his lane somewhere between The Cure, Dead Kennedys, The Cars, the B-52s, and wrestling practice in New Jersey.
He told me the solo album had more uplift than his usual work, especially compared with A Perfect Circle, which he described as “emotionally apocalyptic.” That feels accurate. Howerdel’s always been good at making darkness sound expensive, but this record let in a little more light while still taking swings at algorithms, disinformation, and the modern requirement that musicians apparently chug ketchup online before anybody notices them.
A Perfect Circle's Billy Howerdel on Teen Soundtracks, Parenting Through Music, and the Art of Reimagining
