Paramore promotional photo from The New York Times. Photographer: Eric Ryan Anderson.
Paramore fans: you've waited long enough. The band have heard your cries for new music, and they're here to answer them. Enter After Laughter, the fifth studio album from alternative rock act Paramore. With the announcement comes album artwork, a track listing, a poppy new single called "Hard Times", and a vibrant, beautiful new music video. It's the first piece of new material that the band have released since the band's 2013 self-titled record, which also marked a departure from their previous mall-punk sound that fans associated with their heavily successful 2007 record, Riot! (Remember "Misery Business"? Don't lie; we know you do. And we know that you also tried to dye your hair to match Hayley Williams' famously flame-colored locks at one point in your teenage years. You can't hide the truth from us!)
The new sound that the band has taken on is, to put it simply, different. It's far more in pop music territory than ever before. Distorted and crunchy guitars mixed with head-bang inducing drum beats are nowhere to be seen, instead replaced with infectious clean guitar licks and four-to-the-floor beats that add layer to deeply personal lyrics surrounding the depressive times that occurred between the release of their 2013 album and now. For fans that are more akin to their original sound, it may be a lot to take in at first. Peeling back the layers, however, shows that the band have stepped outside of their comfort zone and delivered a musical piece that is far more representative of the tumultuous times they've endured over the years. In a recent article with the New York Times, vocalist Williams remarks that at times, Paramore has felt more like a soap opera than a band.
You can take a look at the music video and find out more information about After Laughter below.
After Laughter
Available May 12, 2017 via Fueled By Ramen
Pre-Order: www.paramore.net
1. Hard Times
2. Rose-Colored Boy
3. Told You So
4. Forgiveness
5. Fake Happy
6. 26
7. Pool
8. Grudges
9 Caught In The Middle
10. Idle Worship
11. No Friend
12. Tell Me How
The band also announced that they will be embarking on their first tour since the announcement of the album, dubbed "Tour One". You can check out the dates below and see if they'll be coming to your area anytime soon.
Tour One:
June 15: Dublin, Ireland - Olympia
June 16: Belfast, UK - Waterfront
June 18: Manchester, UK - O2 Apollo
June 19: London, UK - Royal Albert Hall
June 21: Bristol, UK - Colston Hall
June 22: Edinburgh, UK - Usher Hall
June 24: Cologne, Germany - Palladium
June 25: Tilburg, Netherlands - 013
June 27: Paris, France - Grand Rex
June 29: Vienna, Austria - Arena Open Air
June 30: Sopron, Hungary - Volt Festival
July 2: Berlin, Germany - Admiralspalast
July 3: Hamburg, Germany - Stadtpark
July 5: Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic - Rock For People
July 7: Stockholm, Sweden - Cirkus
July 9: Turku, Finland - Ruisrock
July 12: Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega
July 14: Tonsberg, Norway - Slottsfjell
Paramore
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This has been another Shameless Promotion.