By Nur Shahira Ismail Shah Putra
Hayley Williams dropped the news on debuting solo back in January 2020. As a fan of Paramore since the early years of the band, I was thrilled. Though I admit, few issues such as what’s going to happen to Paramore now and is this going to be the end of the band troubled me. But, Hayley stated in her interview Petals for Armor is just an experiment of trying out different kind of genre than what Paramore usually is.
When the album fully released on May 8, in the middle of the world pandemic, I listened to it immediately. After 55 minutes and 15 songs, my excitement decreases after every song. I have mixed feelings about the album. I even have to skip some songs, as I don’t quite enjoy them. It sounds so different than what I thought it’s going to sound like. I have to give the album a few more listens to grasp and to understand what Hayley was trying to say. Not that I don’t enjoy it at all, it was just so unique, personal and also contain a gist of feminism and strength that I’ve never thought would come from Hayley.
The album starts with Simmer where Hayley raging on with full anger about her past and ends with her finding peace and ready to move on in Crystal Clear. My most favourite song by lyrics in the album is Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris. It’s a feminist song using flowers as a metaphor to show growth and finding oneself. The most captivating lyrics are in the second verse where Hayley talks about the kind of women who constantly ripping petals from Daisies playing the 'he loves me not' game. She then refers herself to those women and now realising her worth and going to bloom independently. The first phrase of the second verse also refers to the Paramore song, 26.
To fit Petals for Armor in a genre would be hard. This is as all the songs are different in sound. I’m talking about a mix of pop, alternative, funk, and also electronic beats. For example, Pure Love is a mix of a little R&B and pop while Sugar sounds like electro-funk with catchy beats. The second song in the album, Leave it Alone, is the complete opposite of groovy as it’s a slow song with dark beats as the song is talking about grief. When the music is mixed with the lyrics, Leave it Alone will totally get you in your feels as Hayley sings about how we can’t stop ourselves from loving someone or something and losing them.
I would also like to mention my second favourite song of this album, Dead Horse. The song starts with a voice note of Hayley saying she was in depression and trying to fight it. The title is based on an English idiom, to beat a dead horse meaning to push something beyond its limit even when it’s already lived out its course. The song talks about her relationship with her ex-husband that started with an affair but she felt like the relationship last too long. I like this song, as Hayley is brave enough to come out as the other woman and admit it was a mistake all along. The catchy chorus also gets me though I'm not a fan of the ya-ya-ya outro.
Honestly, I was expecting more Paramore’s After Laughter vibe but then, if Hayley wanted that, she should have just produced an album with Paramore together. Though the differences, I like this new Hayley. If you are a fan of Paramore and are familiar with their genre, you should keep an open mind while listening to this album. After all, Petals for Armor is about Hayley and her personal journey of life and not about the band. Hence, I will rate this album 4/5 and it’s a must-listen during this quarantine.
The cover art for Petals for Armor by the artist Hayley Williams. The cover art copyright is believed to belong to the label, Atlantic, or the graphic artist(s).
תגובות