"All that I want Is to wake up fine Tell me that I'm alright That I ain't gonna die"
Waiting four years since the self-titled album release in 2013 wasn’t easy for Paramore fans. But the highly anticipated moment has come and listeners are savoring every second of it. “Hard Times”, the title of the new single, offers an unexplored terrain for the highly charted pop punk trio. Its vibrant rhythms of polished guitar riffs, suave drumbeats and ecstatic background vocals chanting “Hard Times” will make you rejoice over your rock bottom.
No doubt they transitioned from a vigor and rebellious sound to a more spirited one that recognizes life’s obstacles. Indeed, it can be hard times. But these obstacles sparks growth within us to move forward. Some of us have to grow up sometimes. Nothing is constant, everything is ever-changing, from the way we form moral principles to the way we gesture in a conversation.
Paramore knows a thing or two about change. For those of you who do not know, in 2010 Hayley Williams, Taylor York and Jeremy Davis issued a statement announcing the departure of Zac and Josh Farro. Josh stated how the management team focused on Hayley only, the frontwoman of the band. They never acknowledged the rest of the musicians. Leaving only three, the remaining members struggled for two years with this brutal shift. Not until 2013 when they released Paramore. They toured, won a Grammy for best rock song, and stated how they were fiercer than ever. December 2015, Jeremy Davis left the band due to personal affairs in his adult life.
Through the ups and downs of this band, somehow a light shined through when rumors circulated of a possible return of formal member Zac Farro.
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This brings us back to present day. As a longstanding Paramore fan, I am overjoyed with this renewal. It refines what Paramore is and will be. We always pictured them as the band that kept the pop punk genre alive. Always constant to that scene and nothing more. Hard Times breaks those boxes they were put under for so many painful years. And it is liberating.Their 80s synthetic pop vibe invites transformation.
Just because it leans towards a more pop approach does not mean it lacks substance. I know it is something some fans were not expecting but it happened. Paramore remodeled their inventory. It’s healthy. After all they have been through, they deserve closure and a fresh start.
After Laughter Release: May 12
