Hayley Williams has hit us with her 3rd solo studio record and its quite an interesting one to talk about through the context of its method of release and where it sits in Hayley's artistic journey both within and outside of Paramore. For anyone not in the know, Paramore is band famous for their instability and volatility since it's inception. Originally formed when the group were still teenagers in high school, they have experienced constant line-up changes, tensions within the band over differing politics and worldviews, contracts and writing credits, and even romantic break ups. However, following on from their 2023 record, This Is Why, it seemed like the band (and Hayley herself) had finally settled into a good and stable place. The band had released two records under the same line-up for the first time ever, their acclaim was growing in the more snobby musical circles that dismissed their earlier work, and had finally run down their exploitative 360 record deal with Atlantic. Also, after going through a messy divorce, Hayley was now dating the band's guitarist Taylor York after being friends for 20+ years. I was definitely expecting another Paramore album before HW3, but on the first listen it becomes quite apparent why.
But before we get into the meat of the record, I want to talk about the rollout of it, as was pretty unconventional. Free from the shackles of the record deal with Atlantic, these songs first appeared on Hayley's website behind an unlock code (originally found on bottles of Hayley's hair dye, but it instantly became easy to find online) as an unstructured, interactive list of individual tracks. After a few days, the webpage was taken down and a couple of days after that they were released to streaming as individual singles. It was then about a month before they were compiled into an actual album with a tracklist that was inspired by fan submissions - with one additional closing song that we hadn't heard prior. This definitely gives these songs a distinct feel, like they're all within the same world but aren't meant to be taken as a discrete narrative with a clear start and end. My experience of the opener, Ice In My OJ, exemplifies this. On my first listen to the songs on the website, Ice In My OJ cropped up around the middle of my selection, so I had never really considered it as an opener. But when placed in that context, it does indeed work. The 'smack you around the face' hard intro and staple alt rock loud-soft dynamics during the chorus / verse structure. The record also sonically jumps around from alt rock to new wave, to pop, to singer / songwriter and more - making it feel more like a scattershot of ideas and feelings, rather than a curated story.
This is all in aid of the main themes of the record, as it is quite obviously a break up album. But as a woman in her 30s who is quite open about her struggles with trauma and her mental health, and her journey through the process of healing; Hayley is not interested in dragging Taylor through the dirt (although there are a few cutting lines sprinkled throughout), or presenting a version of events to convince us as the listeners to be on her side of the breakup. She has even gone as far as to say in interviews that Paramore are not breaking up and Taylor is still in the band (as impossible as that might seem). The attitude and atmosphere of Ego Death is a distinctly jaded malaise, as Hayley has found that despite all the work she has put in to improve herself and her life, it has all come apart once again. The pain is there and very visible, but without the raw and egocentric melodrama that comes with youth.
Ice In My OJ is quite an oblique song to start the record, and is followed by the much more direct and accessible Glum. It is a moody pop rock cut about feeling low and alone with a big anthemic chorus, and was the last song I listened to on that first 'pre-tracklist' listen, so in my head was the closer - but it also works in that typical 'lead single that is second in the tracklist' slot. I am generally gravitating to the more rock leaning cuts here, as I think that they are more Hayley's bag, although there is a level of quality across the songs that makes this Hayley's most consistent solo release. Kill Me is another catchy pop rock cut about her struggles of generational trauma and the sense of martyrdom that comes with being the eldest daughter - always having to pick up the pieces for everyone else. Mirtazapine is a noisy 90's-esque alt rock love song dedicated to the anti-depressant that allows her to function on a day to day basis. It is unique framing to talk about depression and medication, allowing to Hayley to delve a bit deeper into the more mundane impacts depression has on her life. Hard is another heavier cut where Hayley delves into growing up in such a masculine, emotionally aggressive environment and how she had to act in the same ways in order to survive, not being able to express the gentler more typically feminine sides of her personality.
The title track and True Believer swing a bit more broadly, tackling the ills Hayley sees in her hometown of Nashville and Southern USA as a whole. Ego Death tales the tale of Hayley being out on the town during the titular event and the commercialisation, loss of identity and increasing inequality has turned the place into something she no longer recognises. There is a not so subtle dig at "a racist country singer" that has seemingly gotten away with their actions due to their popularity and success. True Believer further expands on the legacy of slavery and racism within The South and the impacts it has today on the region. Hayley really doesn't hold back calling out the racism that still to this day persists, particularly within the white, gun owning, right wing, fundamental Christian communities.
Disappearing Man is another catchy pop rock song that quite earnestly tackles how Hayley was giving her all to Taylor and his own walls and ultimately pulling away himself was the ultimately the undoing of the relationship. Similarly, Brotherly Hate implies the impact this has had on the relationship between Taylor and Paramore's drummer Zac Farro. Much Like Ice In My OJ, the lyrics are a little more obtuse, leading you to read between the lines a little bit. Negative Self Talk is a moody, Radiohead-esque ballad about exactly what the title suggests, the spiralling negative thoughts that lead you tapped in your head.
Discovery Channel is a bit of an odd one, as it interpolates the chorus of Bloodhound Gang's "The Bad Touch", which for anyone who's heard that song will know - it's not a serious one. Hayley mostly-successfully flips it into something that fits into quite a serious and downtrodden song, but I cannot think of it without thinking of the original. The new wave-y, plinky plonky synths and general sonic vibe of the song is weirdly upbeat compared to the rest of the record, which does make it stick out a bit. The back end of the album also calms down a bit, where the tracks feel more distant and hazy with less punctuating intense moments to jolt you out of the depressive malaise.
The last track I'd like to mention is the closer, Parachute. It was the only one not previously released as a single, and it really ties together the themes of the record. Before the album was released, it wasn't exactly clear from the rest of the songs what the state of Hayley and Taylor's relationship was. Clearly something had happened, but whether it was just a rough patch or a full break up was not clear. Some fans online were even claiming that the songs were actually about Hayley's previous divorce from years ago at this point. Parachute bares all with a sense of rawness and intensity that the rest of the album does not and provides a really cathartic and emotionally charged listen. The guitars roar and Hayley's vocals wail compared to her much more reserved and controlled approach throughout the rest of the album.
Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party is easily Hayley's best crop of solo songs and I think the release method has really aided the kind of loose, hazy narrative it is going for, because if you take it as a record in a traditional sense, it is a bit long and unfocused. And such, while I do enjoy it while its on, with some real highlights, I'm not sure I'd ever put it on in full over the last two Paramore albums, which were very tight and focused and 'complete'. There is still a lot of enjoyment to get from it though.
Top Tracks: Ice In My OJ, Glum, Kill Me, Mirtazapine, Disappearing Man, Brotherly Hate, Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party, Hard, True Believer, Parachute
7/10
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