Paramore// After Laughter - Review

*I get all my music from my Spotify package at the moment*

My Rating: 3.5/5

Okay, so when Paramore surprised everyone a few months ago with the lead single Hard Times, the comeback of Zac Farro, a new album, and Hayley's blonde hair - it was too much for my inner twelve year old to even cope with. Seriously. So, after I recovered from that colossal news and the high dizzying bout of nostalgia, I decided to listen to the music. Now, Paramore have recovered from two line-up changes in the band and a three year break, so whatever this new album was, it was going to be emotional. I was expecting that; but that wasn't what it sounded like. It was fun, light, bouncy and freeing, with Hayley's vocals as jarring and familiar as my secondary school days where I would attempt to copy her high knees in the Decode music video. Firstly, I rolled my eyes thinking, "oh, here we go, with a mainstream, sugar pop, sell out, comeback album". It was just the basic blandness in the lyrics and there wasn't a lot of depth to them. I found the album cover itself confusing at first and a little busy and distracting, and the name, though it was punchy, lacked thought and any real background or connection to the band itself.

However, then I started doing some digging. I watched the Zane Lowe Beats interview, where Hayley, Zac and Taylor did a track by track review. Also, I watched some live videos on YouTube and honestly watch the I-tunes festival and BBC One's Big Weekend show. The band is obviously overcompensating for the loss of the members, but you can't deny the ferocity in the performance and the sheer willingness to do well.

Also, after a quick Wikipedia search I discovered that only the three of them wrote all the songs on the album (apart from No Friends). Do you know how rare it is to find bands or artists that write their own music??

After the anger and ruthless and sharp sound of self titled, After Laughter was remarkably refreshing. Sure, there are some pop bangers but underneath that you can still hear the realness of Hayley's voice, the drive behind Zac's drums and the power and intricacy of Taylor's production. Honestly, this is probably the only album that infused all three members fully, and you can really, really, hear it. It is just the three of them, doing what they do best together.

The album itself has remnants of Bleachers music, with the pop sounding music, especially 80's throwbacks, and layered vocals with a juxtaposition of darker lyrics running alongside them. They're honest. Yeah, they made me dance in my bedroom, in the kitchen when I cook and in the car. But, it does also make me think. Really, it's not angry or harsh or fake. I think self titled was too fake happy and too pretend, I think it was an upfront. This album brings us back to the root of Paramore, a unique sound and a cracking live performance.

The more I listen; the more I find to like. It's hard to find an artist on their 5th album who still enjoy what they're doing, and Paramore so clearly do.

Favourite Songs: Idle Worship, Tell Me How and Rose Coloured Boy.