They were four, then they were five, now there are three. Paramore members Josh and Zac Farro (guitarist and drummer respectively) left the band in 2010, claiming the band was being manufacture as a solo project for vocalist Hayley Williams (Source).
It’s hard to ignore this, seeing as the lyrics point to the struggle that the band has been through in the past few years.
Luckily, Paramore have retained their original energy and determination against the odds. ‘Now’ is a good track, it’s catchy, upbeat and has slight Be Your Own Pet influence (which is never a bad thing).
Unfortunately, what is lacking is feeling. Gone are the music progressions made in ‘Brand New Eyes’, this new single is much more of the light rock feel of ‘Riot!’. The chorus draws a few comparisons to ‘Crushcrushcrush’. It relies too heavily on Hayley’s vocals, with not enough backing.
I won’t be making assumptions about the new, self titled album just yet, but let’s hope for something with a bit more kick to it?
RC xx