Hayley Williams Is Fiercely Independent, and Four Other Takeaways from Her 17 Singles
Notably, the collection of songs has not been released or marketed as an album. The project marks Williams' first solo music in four years following 2021's Flowers for Vases and 2020's Petals For Armor. Both albums featured sparse production with Williams' powerful vocals ringing throughout, and her strong songwriting skills on full display. The new collection was produced by Daniel James, with the sound shifting from alt-rock to synth pop, as Williams explores a multitude of themes. Here are five key moments from her great new release.
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Williams Is Fiercely Independent
This collection of songs marks Williams' first solo release since her longtime, and controversial, record contract with Atlantic ended in 2024. When Williams signed to the label at 14 years-old, it became a point of contention between the former band members of Paramore. But now that the contract has expired, Williams has self-released the collection of songs via her own new venture, cleverly titled Post Atlantic. Secretly Distribution will act as the distributor for the songs. This newfound freedom is a revelation for Williams who explores just how much she gave of herself to Atlantic over the last two decades on songs like 'Ice in My OJ' where she sings, 'A lot of dumb motherfuckers that I made rich.' Notably, that trip-hop-tinged song's chorus calls back to the 2004 track 'Jumping Inside' by the Mammoth City Messengers, which featured Williams on vocals. It's a cool full-circle moment and a testament to the musician's staying power.
The Mississippi Native Confronts Her Southern Roots
On tracks like 'Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party' and 'True Believer,' Williams criticizes the South's racism. 'I'm the biggest star at this racist country singer's bar,' she boldly declares in the former track before breaking into a hypnotizing chorus where she promises herself, 'Can only go up from here.' Meanwhile, on 'True Believer,' Williams looks around at how much Nashville, the place she grew up in, has changed for the worse. She calls out the hypocrisy of religious extremists in the region ('They say that Jesus is the way but then they gave him a white face/So they don't have to pray to someone they deem lesser than them') and claims 'the South will not rise again.' As Williams explores her Southern roots and religious background, she invokes 'Strange Fruit,' a 1937 song by Abel Meeropol about the lynching of Black Americans during the Jim Crow Era. It's a powerful moment where Williams explores the racist history of the U.S. with scathing lyrics and eerie melodies.
There Are A lot of Lovesick Melodies
From the Lost In Translation-inspired 'Dream Girl in Shibuya' to the aching 'Disappearing Man,' heartbreak is scattered all over the song collection. As soon as fans heard Williams' songs earlier this week, they went haywire online speculating that the musician was now single. The possibility was especially earth-shattering for fans because Williams confirmed she was dating Paramore guitarist Taylor York in 2022. Since then, the couple has kept details about the relationship private. But eagle-eyed fans have been hunting for easter eggs in Williams lyrics about the status of her relationship with York. Whether or not the words are about York, songs like 'Disappearing Man' chronicle the loss of love with tender lyrics like, 'There were no conditions to my love /Yeah, it was endless 'til there was no you to hold.' Meanwhile shimmering synth-pop tracks like 'Whim' and 'Love Me Different' find Williams still hopeful for love as she cradles her broken heart until she realizes, 'I'm the one who's gotta love me differently.'
Her Mental Health is Also an Important Theme
Over the course of the 17 songs, Williams also continues to address her mental health, a theme that's been present in her lyrics since her Paramore days. The shining example here is 'Mirtazapine,' a Nineties rock ode to Williams' preferred antidepressant. The singer initially released the track by sending a CD copy of it to Nashville's WNXP radio station, which premiered it on July 23. That CD also featured 'Glum,' an acoustic-guitar driven existential crisis where Williams asks: 'Do you ever feel so aloneThat you could implode and no one would know?' Similarly, on 'Negative Self Talk,' the musician reflects on how dark things can get on the bad days, singing, 'Chorus of my worst thoughts, drawing curtains shut/As hope takes a bow.' On these indie rock tracks, it's not about Williams finding the answers to her depression, it's about being unafraid to say the hard things aloud.
Williams Future Is Wide Open, So Is Paramore's
Some of the collection's songs deal with personal loss. While it isn't clear if that loss is a break up between two of the three members of Paramore, these moments on the collection have left fans wondering where this leaves the band. Well, that's not entirely distinguishable from these songs. Regardless what is going on in the band member's personal lives, it's abundantly clear that Williams has entered a new groove in her solo work. Never has she sounded more certain with a sonic landscape that is all her own. Similarly, dummer Zac Farro just released his first solo album, Operator, under his own name last month. In any case, nothing can be ruled out for a band as surprising, and resilient, as Paramore. After all, at the bottom of the band's website next to their copyright there is text that displays ''24 – ∞,' pairing the year they became an independent act with an infinity sign and suggesting their story isn't ending any time soon.
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