I hate to say I told you so
I’ll hold my hands up right now, I was pretty damn late to the Paramore party. Back when I was in my mid-twenties I was a bit (*coughs and splutters*) of a music snob and put waaaay too much emphasis on the value of authenticity. These days I have don’t suffer from the same hang-ups and (thanks to the cajoling of [edit] first lady Jenessa) I can appreciate Hayley Williams as a consummate live-performer and one of the best popstars knocking around.
On their new album, After Laughter, Williams and Paramore’s chief music maker, Taylor York, continue their evolution from emo-headliners to straight ahead pop megastars. A journey that begun with the success of Ain’t It Fun, the summer banger from their self-titled album from 2013, and is plastered across every single one of the new LP’s tracks.
For me, the most interesting song from the new LP is second single “Told You So”, which fidgets with nervous energy. Upon first listen it feels irregular, its rolling verses trundle along nicely before they’re unwittingly soaked by an impatient chorus which is dropped in like a hastily placed pint. However, as familiarity grows, the Foals-esq guitars (the breakdown in Blue Blood anyone?) and precise vocal yelps and warped vocoder begin to find their mark, the oddness recedes and the track reveals itself as a fresh and bold departure from a band that critics and fans felt they had a handle on.