During the height of success for former five piece band, Paramore, they hit possibly the biggest hurdle they’ll ever face in their music career, losing brothers Josh and Zac Farro from the band, which left fans wondering for a very long time if there was a future for Paramore.
Just over a year later, now just a trio, Paramore have stormed back, seemingly prouder and happier than ever, with a fouth and self-titled album, ‘Paramore‘.
This new album, coming from an ultimately “new” band, after such a long time was obviously going to raise concerns amongst fans, and after listening to it, it definitely brings a vast amount of new and different aspects to Paramore that we’ve never seen before. The opening track comes as a bit of a shock, and almost forces you to forget it’s Paramore you’re listening to. Belting out an upbeat, pop melody and almost introducing the album as a novelty summer album, this track doesn’t do much for the overall content of this otherwise fantastically strong album- so don’t let it turn you off!
Moving onto latest single ‘Now’; a track which portrays more depth and sophistication and really announces what this album is about. Remaining up-beat in terms of the melody, the lyrics show more meaning and begin to give the album a sense of purpose. Similarly, follow-up tracks, ‘Daydreaming’ and ‘Aint It Fun‘ follow the same suit, and continue the upbeat, lively theme which is pretty much central to this album. These opening tracks are wonderfully catchy, and although it was much feared by many fans, they are extremely well exectuted pop songs. It was always a worry coming up to this album that Paramore, having previously being acclaimed for their pop-punk sound, wouldn’t be able to pull off a pop tint in their music, but they did a fine job with these powerful opening tracks.
The entire first half of this 17 track album takes us on a new path that Paramore have created and left open for discovery. Although Hayley’s lively, energetic vocals remain at the core, they are gliding along a more “poppy” platform than on previous albums. This absence of a complete rock touch isn’t a sudden burden, as previous album ‘Brand New Eyes’ hinted vigorously at a potential transformation into a more mainstream sound; and that album had plenty of success with tracks such as ‘The Only Exception‘ and ‘Playing God‘.
Hayley Williams described this album as the three of them experimenting and rediscovering themselves as a band, but also firmly admitted that they haven’t forgotten where they came from. When this album hits tracks such as ‘Anklebars’ and ‘Proof’, we are kicked by the more rustic guitar riffs and heavier beats that are familiar from ‘All We Know Is Falling’ and ‘Riot!’.
Stand out tracks for me on this album are, without a doubt, ‘Now’, ‘Still Into You’, Proof’ and ‘Hate To See Your Heart Break’, the latter of which slows the album down from its upbeat state, and highlights the soft voice of Hayley. On this wonderful track, a steady, calm rhythm shadows possibly the most hitting lyrics on the entire album. Counterattacking the sound of this track, ‘Still Into You’ and ‘Proof’ are the more crystal evidence of the new Paramore. Essentially, these tracks take Hayley’s voice away from the usual pop-punk platform, and places it on a more upbeat, Gwen Stefani meets Avril Lavigne runway, but on which it takes off wonderfully.
The album is definitely a whole new planet in Paramore, which they’ve never exposed, or perhaps never been aware of themselves before now, and it’s definitely looking like an exciting journey. All in all, this is a damn good pop album, with an essence of that ‘Riot!’ sound peaking through. These guys have come back strong; they may be growing towards a different light, but their roots are still firmly intact, and this new growth spurt will inevitably bring bigger, more exciting things from this freshly refurbished Paramore.
Check out the latest single, ‘Now’ from this album: