After all of these years, Billy Howerdel is ready to introduce himself. The vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, A Perfect Circle co-founder and guitarist projects facets of his personality onto a reflective ethereal canvas of living and breathing soundscapes. On his proper full-length solo debut, What Normal Was [Alchemy Recordings/Rise Records/BMG], he inhabits a space that’s reverent of his past, present, and future simultaneously. “This is me stepping back into my early teen self and making the record I would have made if I had the means and the knowledge when I first picked up a guitar—just in 2022,” he explains. “It’s that moment as a kid when you hear a record, close your eyes, and go somewhere else. During the making of this album, a global pandemic’s chaos had a silver lining. It gave me time to tighten the songs into the place I’d hoped they could be. When I look back, I don’t think I’d change anything about it.” “This record was going to come out under ‘Ashes Divide’ up until last summer,” he explains. “As time passed, I felt like this sound was closer to what I’ve always wanted to do. It’s more of what’s in my musical DNA, so I wanted to go with my name. In the early two-thousands, Maynard gave me a little bit of advice. He encouraged me to use my voice front-and-center. So, this album is 100% me using my voice and register. I think it tells a better story of who I am.” Ultimately, this album is the best way to get to know Billy.