Paramore – Paramore

I’ll start by saying, if you are expecting something remotely similar to any of the previous albums then, sorry my friends but you will be disappointed. However, I will add… don’t be! As although different, that doesn’t necessarily mean bad. There is no denying it’s different what with the exit of brothers Josh and Zac Farro, there was bound to be some noticeable changes, especially with Josh having co-written most of Paramore’s songs with Hayley. For some hardcore fans that will be hard to take in and could possibly leave them feeling alienated but for others who are able to embrace this, I think they will find the album growing on them.

Some of the obvious changes in their style include the drums sounding fairly generic giving their music a general “poppy” feel, which I do feel is a downfall to the album as it’s just not the same Paramore that we’re used to. However, this was likely to be affected having lost drummer Zac Farro and so I do tend to excuse this based on that fact.

You can definitely see Paramore have really experimented with new things on this album, with the increasing use of synths and electronic programming on tracks such as; Fast In My Car which show a completely different side to Paramore. The band members really have to be applauded for experimenting in this way, as they’ve had to up their game a great deal since the Farro brothers left.

You can see more experimenting in tracks like Ain’t It Fun which from a first listen could sound like a completely different band if you were caught off guard. Ain’t It Fun brings a real funk sound to the album with the addition of other backing singers, however Hayley’s voice remains just as strong and impressive in this new setting.

There is a distinctively melodic feel throughout the album, with many slower tracks such as Last Hope, Hate To See Your Heart Break and Future. This works particularly well with the use of interludes – normally involving just Hayley and a ukulele, giving a quirky feel – which they’ve never used in an album before. These break the album up a bit, which some may say results in it becoming quite lengthy but I don’t see this is as a disadvantage as it’s not something you really notice when listening to it.

Definite tracks that stand out at me are Still Into You, Anklebiters and [One Of Those] Crazy Girls. Still Into You being the best track, without a doubt! It’s upbeat, fresh and gives you that instant happy feeling that we so desperately search for in music. With a catchy chorus “Let ’em wonder how we got this far, ’cause I don’t really need to wonder at all, yeah after all this time I’m still into you…” that’ll have you pressing the repeat button endlessly.

Anklebiters works well as you can hear glimmers of some remains of the previous Paramore sound that we’re used to, with the echoing chants of “ANKLEBITERS!” this resembles sounds from an older Brick By Boring Brick and gives signs of the same raw attitude that made Riot! so great. For this reason, fans will find themselves swaying more towards this as opposed to more experimental tracks like Fast In My Car.

Overall, I would say you definitely have to give this album a chance. It can be very easy to dismiss it on a first listen due to it coming across so different but if you take the time to listen again, I have no doubt that you’ll soon find yourself singing along to some of the songs. I guess this is a real ‘growing up’ album for Paramore as they’ve had to rediscover themselves all over again and that’s clearly reflected in their music. It’s sad to see the old Paramore go but I admire them for trying something new and I can’t wait to start seeing them performing in the UK again!