Paramore: "After Laughter"

Paramore "After Laughter": A Review

Featuring Singles: "Hard Times" and "Told You So"

This review is going to be a bit different and a bit longer than my previous two music review blogs. Because I am reviewing an entire album as well as breaking down the two lead singles from that album as well. So if you are prepared and willing this will be a long one, but I promise you that it will be worth it. 

After Laughter: Album Review

The album I am going to be reviewing is the latest one that just dropped last Friday from a pop-rock band called "Paramore" and the album is titled "After Laughter". Paramore has been around as a band since 2004 and they have released four studio albums prior to "After Laughter". the bands front-woman Haley Williams even stated before their recording of this album that she thought they would not be making any albums after their self titled "Paramore" album back in 2013. She even stated this about the album "There was a moment when I didn't even want it to happen. Then I was like, 'I want it to happen, but I don't know how we're going to do it" . I can tell you that there are a lot of us out here who are glad that they did. 

The album is packed with great content and a slight genre move. One that might rub some of the more "Old-School" fans the wrong way. This is also something that other bands have recently done (Linkin Park, Fall Out Boy, etc.) and they haven't been met with the best reception either. But short of quoting my thoughts, a full paragraph of such opinions and stuff, about how music evolves and bands will evolve as well. If you want to read the full statement on my review of Linkin Parks "Heavy". Or you can keep an eye out for an upcoming blog post where I will be posting about music and the direction it has been going in and why bands/artist who change things up are not always a bad thing.

Aside from the genre move, "After Laughter" is full of tracks that touch on topics such as depression, anxiety, and exhaustion. This contrasts the upbeat sounds of the album. A theme that has been used in music by a lot of big artists. But that's another blog subject for another day. So keep an eye out for it (wink, wink). But back to the album. Over all it has a 80's pop-rock, synth pop, and new wave/alt-pop. So again it is a departure from what they have done in the past. But it has really helped them emphasize, and deliver the lyrical content behind each track. My two faves are definitely the two singles "Told You So" and "Hard Times". I know they were the first ones to come out but after listening to the rest of the album these are still my faves. The track that I think is most underrated is still a question that remains to be answered. But if I fell it necessary I will blog about this and share it with you guys. Until then, please enjoy the rest of this review.

"Hard Times": Track Review

The first track I am going to do an in-depth review of is not coincidentally, the first single off of the album. "Hard Times" was released on April 19th 2017 along with the album's artwork, the track-listing, and the release date of May 12th for the album in it's entirety. Early reviews of the track were mixed with people who did not think that more was coming from the band. Despite them earlier stating that they were actually working on a fifth studio album. Reviews were also that the general audience didn't like it. Whatever your stance on this track, and/or album is; if you have made it this far I hope you keep reading. You might just like what you read and you'll end up coming away with a different thought of this song/s/album.

Starting off the review we have verse one. And being no stranger to using themes of growing up. They open with the lyrics "All I want is to wake up fine. To tell me alright, that I ain't gonna die" I find this to be a fitting way to introduce the over all theme of the song. Dealing with hard times in life. Acknowledging the creeping reality of mortality, hopelessness, and confusion to name a few things that you experience growing in an adult life. And the second half of verse one continues on with that introduction, while also contradicting the first half in a sense with Haley talking about hiding in a hole in the ground and waiting for someone to tell her it is safe to come out. Usually the term "A hole in the ground" refers to the hole you would put a coffin in. A sense of wanting to be dead. You can kind of see where Haley is coming from here. In between albums the band had some legal issues going on, and being down another band member. Haley has even been qouted saying this, "We were down another band member-same old story almost from day 1. It made me question-am I doing something wrong? You read things that people say about you and eventually you just think, ‘Oh, I must be some kind of diva bitch.’ I know that’s not me, but it caused a lot of self-doubt." So now you can see a certain level of genuineness in the writing of the lyrics.

Continuing on to verse two. Anyone who has suffered or is currently suffering with depression can relate to the opening of this verse. "Walking around with my little rain cloud. Hanging over my head and it ain't coming down" Rain clouds typically symbolize bad luck, and an extremely bad mood. It never seems to want to go away and the sunshine becomes something foreign to you. Like you would not know what to do if you actually caught a break in the rain and were actually happy for once. Again with the relate-able terminology you have the lyrics, " Where do I go? Gimme some sort of sign. You hit me with lightning, maybe I’ll come alive." In Biblical terms, a lightning bolt is a symbol of God's presence and power;  the sound and sight of lighting declares His presence. Hayley wants a sign from God that he’s still there in her life. Getting struck with lightning could also help her “come alive”, and help her out of her struggle. This image of ‘coming alive’ by lightning strike is reminiscent of Frankenstein’s Monster where the dead comes to life.

Then on to the bridge. A very true and unique response to the lines in verse two. Hayley, still coming to terms with her situation, trying to come down from her prideful past, and her 'diva' reputation. Just getting back to having fun as a band and being able to 'kick it' with friends. Here is a full quote of the bridge's lyrics,

"Tell my friends I’m coming down

We'll kick it when I hit the ground

Tell my friends I’m coming down

We'll kick it when I hit the ground

When I hit the ground, when I hit the ground

When I hit the ground, when I hit the ground"

And last but not least we have the choruses. There is a lot going on here. Both in the song and out. Prior to the writing of this song founding members Josh and Zac Farro had left the band. And as recently as 2016, the bands bassist left amidst the legal battles he was in with the band. So you could say that the band was going through some pretty real "Hard Times". 

"Hard times, gonna make you wonder why you even try

Hard times, gonna take you down and laugh when you cry

These lives, and I still don't know how I even survive

Hard times, hard times

And I gotta get to rock bottom, uh"

Hayley Williams commented on the lyrics and how she channeled the dark energy into saying this to the New York Times, "You can run on the fumes of being a teenager for as long as you want, but eventually life hits you really hard." But she also notes how hard times are also a necessary part of growing up and that they can give you a deeper appreciation of the good times in this quote "This is what you go through hard times for, so you can have these moments where you’re proud of yourself, proud of your choices and your friends…I have a public diary of my life, and I feel useful because of it." Also mirroring a lyric from their song "Monster" in 2011, which was also about the turmoils and personal rifts that were happening back as far as then.

Overall this song is put together and arranged very well. The playful 80's style pop-rock instrumentals add to the dark, yet somewhat uplifting message that hard times are coming, but they will pass. Hard times might get you down, but they will make you better in the end. The rain may come, but the longer it rains the better the sunshine will be at the end. And even though you hit "Rock Bottom" that means you only have upwards to go.

"Told You So": Track Review

And the last track that I will be reviewing is "Told You So". This is the third track on the album and the second single released before the album hit the shelves. The name sparks up a lot of childish fun and witty antics. But it also can hit in that feeling you get when you are in the public spotlight. You feel like there is always someone watching you, waiting for you to make a mistake. Like they knew that you would and they are there to say "Hate To Say I Told You So". Which is generally said in a condescending and disapproving tone or connotation. This seems to be the general theme that the song is built around. So without further ado; let's get started.

Starting right off the bat with verse one. And immediately we hear "For all I know the best is over and the worst is yet to come." Completely flipping the the phrase "The best is yet to come" on it's head. Not to mention that prior to this album the band had lost both Farro brothers, then last year their bassist Jeremy Davis left. And the lines "Is it enough o keep on hoping when the rest have given up" echoing Hayley's feelings that everyone was done trying to help her and they all had left, and very few people look up to her anymore. So there was a time when it seemed like the band had already seen their best days and that everything was downhill from there. Then we saw the return of Zac Farro, the new album becomes a thought, they re-invent their sound, and the album becomes reality. 

Next comes verse two with it's ever more deepening humanization of Hayley with the lyrics "I know you like when I admit that I was wrong and you were right. At least I try to keep my cool when I'm thrown into a fire" and a good way to describe this is with a quote directly from Haley herself. Here is what she said to Rock Sound magazine, 

"To be really honest, two years ago I was ready to quit. I’d been through a lot personally, the band had been through a lot, and I doubted if I could write a record that I loved as much as our self-titled record. I just thought, ‘I’ve been stressing this for 13 years. I’ve been working my ass off for 13 years, since before I had a car…anything that I was mine. The only thing that was mine was this music.’ I really felt like maybe it was time to hang it up and find out what other things I could be good at, whether that’s starting a family, doing hair dye… whatever it was." 

Hayley is aware of the mind games being played on her, but she doesn’t think she can avoid it. She’s been thrown into a metaphorical fire every time something tough has happened in the past few years. She tries not to let anyone see how she burns and how much it hurts her to see the band she loves crumble to pieces. Hayley’s anxiety plays a key role in this song because it involves all she’d been through before finding stability in Paramore. She kept her cool every time something didn’t go her way so the fans and her loved ones wouldn’t see her suffering.

And finally the chorus/bridge. Hayley isn't one to brag to others that she was right. Knowing the phrase "I told you so" is used when someone has messed up pretty badly. This being done to her several times in the past has her feeling for others that it happens to and she doesn't want to be one to rub it in your face when it happens to you. She knows that the others love being right and holding it against her. This also plays into the bridge's lyrics, "Throw me into the fire. Throw me in, pull me out again". That feeling of not being in control. And the people who are saying "I told you so" burning you and then trying to play the "hero", leaving you feeling helpless, you know what is happening but you can't save yourself and rely on their help. These words can also carry the meaning of being refined. Just as metals are thrown into a furnace to become purer, the object of being thrown into the fire and being brought out again and again only makes you better, and you end up as something worth being looked at.

So in conclusion of this track review, and the whole album in general. The composition, arrangement, recording, and execution of the song/album is extremely well put together. You get to see a more human side of front-woman Hayley Williams and the rest of the band as the put out track after track of stories that help you relate to their struggles. Struggles that are not different than the ones that tons of their fans are dealing with. I would recommend these two tracks and the album as a whole. Their instrumental styling is different, but it makes the lyrics shine and stand out. 

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