After an extensive period (about 4 years!) without new music, Paramore is finally back with "Hard Times", the lead single from their upcoming 5th album, After Laughter, due out on May 12th. The song sees the current line-up of Hayley Williams, Taylor York, and the recently returned Zac Farro, taking a new direction in terms of their sound and style. "Hard Times" feels very similar to songs by Walk The Moon, such as "Work This Body" or "Spend Your $$$", stepping away from their pop-punk roots and moving more into an alternative-pop sound, especially with the prominent marimba parts in the intro that play off the guitar riff leading into the first verse. The guitars are clean, the synths are more obvious, and Williams' vocals are less edgy and more smooth. She still holds power with her singing, there's no doubt about that. It's just not in the same, angsty manner as she did in the past. The band sounds fresh; the new vibe suits them well without feeling like change for the sake of change. I loved their last album, Paramore (see my review for that album here), but if they put out another album with the same sort of sound that they've been doing since 2005, I would have said it's time to move on. They're keeping relevant with a really catchy song; I don't think it's going to have the same popularity as their surprise hit "Ain't It Fun", but it's in the same sort of vein, so it'll definitely do well. The chorus is my favorite part of the song, between the back and forth nature of Williams' vocals and the gang vocals, the driving drum beat, and the subtle guitar in the background coming together to keep your head bobbing along the entire song. It's not my favorite song by them, by any means; but, I think it's great and I think it's a step in the right direction for them.
Rating: 4/5
Related: Walk The Moon, CRUISR, Bad Suns
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