I haven’t been a fan from the beginning. But I really have grown to love Paramore. The band’s new album “After Laughter” (AL) is worth a listen.

I just bought the CD (yeah, there are people out there who still buy CDs, thanks) at Target a couple of days ago. I opened it and was impressed with the songs, although some are better than others, it is overall a really great album. With some classic Paramore-sounding tracks, and some that veer off the path a bit, it is still definitely worth a listen. I've reviewed each of the songs below.

Hard Times – Paramore

This song was the first that Paramore released on this album, and naturally, the first one from AL that I heard. I enjoy the colorful nature of the music video, combined with the island-vibe meets 80’s music. The mood that the song conveys seems to be conflicting. On one hand, the lyrics are about experiencing hard times in life, but on the other hand, the instruments and beat of the song are upbeat and happy-sounding. This works well, I think, because it conveys that we all have to experience times in our lives that are difficult, and even if we hit rock bottom, it will be okay. At least, that’s the message I get from it.

Rose-Colored Boy – Paramore

I like the beat of this one. The lyrics mention the frequently used term “low-key,” which is an interesting choice. I don’t know if Paramore decided to use it for that relatable factor, but it’s in there. I had to look up what “rose-colored” meant. I honestly thought of rose gold before I realized that isn’t at all what the song refers to. Rose-colored means seeing or seen in a promising light : optimistic (Merriam Webster).

After listening to the lyrics more closely, the song definitely conveys the meaning. These lyrics were my favorites from this song:

You say "We gotta look on the bright side"

I say "Well maybe if you wanna go blind"

You say my eyes are getting too dark now

But boy, you ain't ever seen my mind

It’s really worth the listen. Or fifty. Just put it on infinitelooper.com. You’re welcome.

Told You So – Paramore

This song gives immediate vibes of “I’m better than you, because I was right.” I am not a huge fan of this one, because it is very repetitive, and tends to have a lot of instrumentals within it. The song itself is about 5 minutes long, but the repetition annoyed me and prevented me from enjoying it as much.

Forgiveness – Paramore

A slow starting song, this one begins and doesn’t seem like Paramore. It morphs a little, about a minute into the song, and hops back and forth between a ballad-ish feel to an empowering lyrical statement. It has a bit of a repetitive feel because the background vocals are sung over and over towards the end. It wasn’t my favorite.

Fake Happy – Paramore

This one really hit home for me. Sometimes I feel completely fake when someone asks, “How are you?” and I reply with “Good!” when it’s definitely not always been good. But then I thought more about it, and so many people do the same thing. People “play pretend” and are “fake happy too.” Why do we do this? I think we all have this outward need (or society does this for us) to present our lives as “perfect” and like we have it all figured out. This song is a good representation of how we act toward one another and present ourselves in our daily lives.

26 – Paramore

The song starts out slowly with a simple acoustic guitar, and then the soft singing begins. The instruments slowly add in, but the soft, melodic, and soothing feeling is maintained throughout the song. Listening to the lyrics is hard, because without them, the song could be happy. I wonder what that says about me? I guess I just like soft and smooth sound of an acoustic guitar. I listened closer to the lyrics and felt sad when the lyrics mentioned:

Reality will break your heart

Survival will not be the hardest part

It's keeping all your hopes alive

All the rest of you has died

So let it break your heart

The ending is sad, but somehow hopeful.

Pool – Paramore

This one has a wind-chime like feeling at the beginning, somewhat random notes, even though it probably wasn’t made that way. It is a cool sound. The lyrics at the end are as repetitive as the music at the beginning feels. It’s just alright. Not my favorite, but I can tolerate it.

Grudges – Paramore

This song is a reminder to stop holding onto grudges. At some point in our lives, we should move on from certain events. They will only bring us down and take away from the positive parts of our lives. I like this one a lot.

Caught In The Middle – Paramore

The lyrics, combined with the background music, make an overall solid statement about uncertainty about life. Hayley sings about being “caught in the middle,” and having “to keep going or they’ll call me a quitter.” It’s definitely relatable, especially as a millennial.

Idle Worship – Paramore

This one sounds more like classic Paramore than most of the others. Obviously they’ve added new elements of musicality into their sound, but I like this one. It reminds me of Marina and the Diamonds, both lyrically and musically. The lyrics remind the listener that no one is going to be perfect, and putting your faith and trust in one person can be problematic.

No Friend – Paramore

The beginning of this one sounds wrong. It just sounds like it doesn’t fit. The first part reminds me of Panic! at the Disco’s sound. I had to look at the lyrics while listening because the background music overpowers the vocals for most of the song. It features Aaron Weiss of MewithoutYou speaking/singing a powerful-yet-strange message that reminds me of slam poetry. I wish I could have deciphered the words without looking them up. I might’ve liked it more if I could hear the words more clearly.

Tell Me How – Paramore

The lyrics that got to me the most are:

You keep me up with your silence

Take me down with your quiet

Of all the weapons you fight with

Your silence is the most violent

Sometimes it hurts most when people don’t say anything. This song is all about not knowing how to handle silences and loss. It spoke to me because I’ve had difficulty choosing whether to hold onto a failed relationship, or let go, even though it would hurt. It’s a struggle. This song shows that struggle.

Give them all a chance. You might have different tastes in music. Songs speak differently to different people. Listen to the entire album and decide for yourself.