Former My Chemical Romance guitarist Frank Iero recently spoke about his near-meeting with death in a bus accident in 2016 and how the experience shaped his upcoming solo record. “It’s incredible to me that we’re all still alive,” Iero said in an interview with Billboard, explaining he was saved by a heavy rucksack that he was wearing, which caught on to the bus’ bumper and prevented him from being crushed after he went under. Titled Barriers, the new record released on Friday features several songs that were directly inspired by the crash and the existential crises that followed. “I think when you have an experience like that it seeps into your DNA and you evolve,” said Iero, adding that he began to question if he had really “made it,” or if his “reality [is] just a weird manifestation of my subconscious? And am I just kind of imagining everything? That’s a rough one because no one can tell you what’s real.” He revealed that “the writing of the record and really addressing that head-on” helped him to make peace with the unforgettable experience.