Hayley Williams - Petals for Armor (May 8, 2020) Album • Page 64

Just went live on IG

 

My immediate thought is people would complain that it doesn’t sound “like a band” enough. Like, I can’t immediately recall any drum portions but that may just be me.

 

Wholesome thread

 

Currently listening to the album so I'll save my thoughts for later, but notice the short part about Paramore's future and hints at a new direction in the NME interview?

 

This is fantastic so far. I never really put thought into what a Hayley album would sound like, yet I'm impressed by the range of sounds covered. I'm unfamiliar with Radiohead so I can't get the comparison, but I hear a lot of Janet, St. Vincent, Kimbra and even Janelle Monae. I'm all in for her becoming our new alt pop queen!

 

Add alternative dance queen. Sugar On The Rim is flooring me right now. Like... wow

 

I had only heard the first three songs on the album because I decided to stop once the videos did and I'm glad, there were so many wild changes in sound that I did not see coming at all. This is a fucking fantastic album, I could tell just from first listen how massively important this was for Hayley to make. It bounces from sound to sound flawlessly, and Hayley just sounds great the whole time, with some of her best choruses and lyrics ever on top of it.

ONLY songs I'm not super crazy about after one listen are Creepin', My Friend and Taken, but I could easily see Creepin' growing on me. Favorites off the top of my head are Simmer, Sudden Desire, Dead Horse, Sugar on the Rim and Crystal Clear but I enjoyed every song, the ones I listed as least favorite were just less interesting to me, not bad by any means

Like I said, I didn't know what to expect from this album at all (I even thought Shimmer was just okay when I first heard it but it's great now) but it totally surpassed my expectations. Really excited for new Paramore but also wouldn't mind if she kept this going

 

I’m pretty sure Dead Horse is now permanently stuck in my head

 

I've been reading the zine that Drew put out about this album and something Eleanor Osada wrote resonated me -- it sounds like a blossoming. The more I lean into the music and the stories being told, the more I appreciate how the structure itself digs out of deep and dark places.

There may be more dramatic, diaristic readings of songs (that I also love) like "Simmer" and "Leave It Alone" and "Dead Horse" and "Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris" (wow that is a song that I underrated out of context). But when the light shines through (the outro of "Why We Ever" is such a great catalyzing moment... it literalizes that attempt to break through your own roadblocks), it's beautiful because of all the shit she's gone through. Songs like "Pure Love", "Taken", and "Crystal Clear" have -- it's not quite optimism, but some kind of steely hopefulness that things will get better and the willingness to try. It's a great way to leave the listener, because there's a lightness and beauty to the final third that doesn't sacrifice the trials you went through to get there. It's (re?)growth; the petals have become the armor.

Apologies for the scattered thoughts and parentheticals, this music is making think a lot of things at once. I think this might be the best sequenced album in a few years.

 

Did she lie

 

oh she’s doubled down on it and now I’m even sadder pride events are cancelled I want to dance along to this with my fellow queer brethren!

 

One thing I noticed after reading a review about the album somewhere - Hayley doesn’t really “use” her voice or belt out any songs or lines. There’s no power ballad or anything on here. Her “tone” or style (for lack of knowing nothing about musical terms) is always around the same “level” / pitch.

I wonder if that was a conscious decision or if she tried any of these songs in a different manner but just liked this style/flow better.

 

kind of wild how consistent this is

 

One of the bass parts in Sugar On The Rim sounds exactly like the Mr Twin Sister song Out Of The Dark and based on her playlist of inspiration I don't think it's an accident lol

 

i like salt with my margs tho

 

Can't get over how candid the lyrics on this thing are. I know Hayley has a history of pouring a lot of herself into her music and lyrics but PFA is staggeringly direct and I love that. You can see it in her interviews around the album and hear it on record.

 

Hot damn, if this isn't the bass-playing album of the year so far. That's a lost art.

 

If anyone is into test pressings:

Hayley Williams - Petals for Armor Signed Test-Pressing — Grimey's New and Pre-Loved Music

 

awesome, thanks!

 

Hot damn is right.

 

ah. I’ve never bought a test pressing but had to for this. So cool. Thanks for sharing!

 

i bought this because why not (also been waiting for this announcement since yesterday). also I miss Grimey's so much

 

Thank you for sharing! Purchased immediately.

 

Oh wow that’s cool! Bought one

 

I know I shouldn’t spend the money on the test press but I want to (edit: should not even have posted this of course I caved)