“After Laughter,” Paramore’s fifth studio album was released on May 12, 2017 and is the first album the band has released since 2013. Since their self-titled album, the band has faced the loss of their bass guitarist, Jeremy Davis, but also rekindled an old flame and reintroduced drummer, Zac Farro, back into the band. The album definitely alludes to this loss, but in a more general sense, it also sheds light on the ups and downs that comes with the music industry. Paramore does this in a new, creative way, by disguising their pain in for the most part what sounds like jolly tracks. As opposed to ballads from their previous self-titled album, like “Hate to See Your Heart Break”, or “Last Hope”. Check out my review of my favorite tracks below:

"Hard Times"

I have reviewed “Hard Times” before and mentioned its funk and pop attributes, and its ability to get you wanting to dance. The track includes heavy, powerful lyrics about hitting rock bottom and a struggle to survive placed alongside a welcoming, poppy, overall lighthearted track. It made for a great lead single considering how catchy it is, yet how much of the band’s personal history it sets free. The music video that accompanies the single also expresses the bands creativity and new found sense of unity.

"Rose-Colored Boy"

This song is introduced by a funk beat and low vocals “Low-key, no pressure, just hang with me and my weather”. The song was actually shown off discretely by Paramore before releasing their album at a Predators hockey game in Nashville, where they were shouted out to the tune of this song. I, personally, was very impressed by this song at first listen because of Hayley Williams’ strong vocals. Being that this is the second song on the album, I was becoming more and more convinced that the band can pull off any sound they please. This song, like others on the album, included powerful lyrics such as, “… I just killed off what was left of the optimist in me, I had to break it, the wars are raging on” that really put the three writers’ lives into perspective.

"Told You So"

Told You So is second single off of “After Laughter” and it is a well deserved title. The song contains woeful lyrics, such as the opening line “For all I know, the best is over and the worst is yet to come” and “Throw me into the fire, throw me in, pull me out again”. The song comes off as a little repetitive, but when you tie the lyrics together with the vocals, instrumentals of the track, and through Taylor’s use of the xylophone, it is not hard to be overall impressed. The music video for this song, like Hard Times, includes all three members of the band, which I find to be admirable, this comeback is about Hayley, Taylor, and Zac, equally.

"Forgiveness"

Forgiveness is one of my favorite songs on this album, simply because of its message, which is given in the lyrics “Don’t you go and get it twisted, forgiving is not forgetting”. The song is the first obvious love song on the album and describes denying someone who has caused the speaker a great deal of pain forgiveness. The song itself is relatively slow and Williams comes across as soft spoken, but it fits the sorrowful lyrics well.

"Fake Happy"

At first listen, the first forty seconds of this song appeared to be an interlude, considering it was very stripped down, raw, and intimate. I appreciate that introduction being placed side by side with a cheerful track, all encompassing a similar message that is all too familiar our generation putting on a false front, or bravado, to make themselves appear happy to the outside world. The song includes lyrics like “If I smile with my teeth, bet you believe me … I think I believe me too” and “Oh, please don’t ask me how I’ve been, don’t make me play pretend”.

"26"

Paramore often times refers to age in their lyrics, for example, in “Hello Cold World,” a 2011 single mentioned, “23 is like the worst idea that I have ever had, its too much pain its too much freedom”. This song does not include the actual number “26” in it, but sounds like a piece of advice to a younger crowd more than anything. The mellow track is comprised of lyrics like “Hold onto hope if you got it, don’t let it go for nobody” and “Reality will break your heart, survival will not be the hardest part, it’s keeping all your hopes alive”. This song is resembles a tribute to the transition into adulthood and what to expect out of it, really adding to the element of “After Laughter” and the realization of what comes after growing up.

"Idle Worship"

I know I have complimented almost every song off of “After Laughter” so far, but I would consider “Idle Worship” my favorite track from the album. Arguably, it is the edgiest song on the album and contains hints of sounds off of their past four albums, which I appreciate. “Idle Worship” has the same tone of sarcasm heard in the Grammy award winning “Ain’t It Fun” with the addition of deeper lyrics and a heavier sound. This track partially shares a similar message to that of “Last Hope” whose lyrics state “It’s just a spark, but its enough to keep me going”. This song contains lyrics like “What little light that’s left, we need to keep it sacred … but we could let the light illuminate these hopeless places”. Over all, the song speaks out against being held up to high expectations and being placed on a pedestal with lyrics like, “Hey, baby I’m not your super human … now I got you hoping, but I’m gonna be the one to let you down”.

"No Friend"

Admittedly, this was my least favorite song on the album through my first listen, this was mostly because I was not expecting to hear Me Without You’s Aaron Weiss’ voice instead of Williams’ vocals. After giving the track with low vocals and an upbeat, robot-like tune a second chance, I could not help but compare it to Depeche Mode’s “Enjoy The Silence”. Weiss, a member of Hayley and Taylor’s shared favorite band, tells a story of Paramore’s history as band using some of their own lyrics. Examples of this include, “More misguided ghosts, more transparent hands” and “We’ll do our riot dance”.

It is awesome to think of how I can continuously fall in love with this band as they continue to reinvent themselves and experiment with new sounds. Songs not included on this list are still entitled to recognition, for example the hints of reggae on “Caught in the Middle” and the twinkly- dreamlike sound turns rock on “Pool” are breathtaking.

Paramore’s album is available now, stream it here on Spotify. Be sure to look out for my review of Paramore’s set at the Karoondinha Music & Festival this July!