Fast-food giant Wendy's has taken fans by surprise by jumping into the music world with the release of an emo album.
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The restaurant chain teamed up with multi-platinum producer and songwriter Matt Squire. As well as a host of respected artists from the emo and alternative music scenes.
Squire's credits include Panic! at the Disco, 3OH!3, All Time Low, Simple Plan and Sum 41.
Matty Mullins of Memphis May Fire and Anberlin, Chloe Kinnon of Winona Fighter and Shane Told of Silverstein all feature on the project. Alongside Beau Bokan of Blessthefall, Derek DiScanio of State Champs and Kat Leon of Holy Wars.
Wendy's Emo Album Gives Fast Food a Pop-Punk Soundtrack
The album is fittingly titled Songs to Listen to in a Wendy's Parking Lot, marking the chain's first venture into the moody music genre.
Wendy's previously explored the music world in 2018 with a hip-hop mixtape titled We Beefin?
"For years, fans have turned Wendy's parking lots into an unexpected backdrop for documenting life's emotional moments from the comfort of their car," the fast-food restaurant said in a statement.
"So, we gave those moments a soundtrack. If you've been there too, songs like "Salt in the Wound," and "She Said She Didn't Want Fries (She Lied)," may speak to your soul more than you'd expect."
Wendy's added that it "felt like the perfect backdrop" to venture into emo and pop-punk. Especially with the music "experiencing a resurgence in culture".
Wendy's Recruits Emo Stars for Six-Track Project
Wendy's insisted that the goal was to create a "high-quality production that stays true to the genre" and approached the project seriously.
The company also stressed that real musicians created the music rather than AI.
"Emo has always been about the small moments that feel huge. A younger generation is discovering that now, and the older fans never stopped feeling it," Squire said on the project.
"Enjoying a Wendy's Frosty in a parking lot might sound like a small moment. But everybody's had a night where that was the only thing that went right."
The album features six tracks: "She Said She Didn't Want Fries", "Salt in the Wound", "I Miss the Sunroom", "The Best Combo Meal on the Worst Night of My Life", "It's Not a Phase, It's a 10PC", and "My Frosty's Funeral".
Fans quickly took to social media to praise the unexpected project, with one user saying "This is FIREEEEE", while another wrote "I have listened to this EP more than I expected to. Absolute bangers."
Others took the opportunity to poke some fun at Wendy's new musical direction.
"Could we get an unhappy meal with a free eyeliner pencil?," one user commented.
