Paramore frontman Hayley Williams said people remember the 2000s emo era “with rose-colored glasses”.
The Tennessee trio sat down with NME for this week’s Big Read cover interview to mark the release of their highly anticipated sixth studio album, “This Is Why,” which drops today (February 10).
After releasing their first three albums in the 2000s – “All We Know Is Falling” (2005), “Riot” (2007) and “Brand New Eyes” (2009) – Paramore are considered one of the most most important in pop – the punk/emo scene, as well as My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy.
Last October, the band headlined Las Vegas’ first nostalgic When We Were Young festival, which featured “an epic lineup of rock and emo bands from the past two decades.”
Additionally, her former sound has influenced a number of Gen Z artists. In 2021, Williams and former bandmate Josh Farro collaborated on Olivia Rodrigo’s single “Good 4 U” due to its resemblance to ” Misery Business”. The singer performed this last song with Billie Eilish at Coachella 2022.
Despite the current resurgence of this type of music in the 1900s, Williams told NME that Paramore continues to have a somewhat contentious relationship with the heyday of pop-punk.
“People look back through rose-colored glasses. They talk about the good stuff and forget about the rest. It was an alternate scene for a reason: it was weird.”
He continued, “These guys were bullied, which is why so many guys in these bands wrote shitty songs about ex-girlfriends. It just makes me mad at the unfairness of a group of people being bullied, essentially creating a world where other people don’t feel welcome.” “.
However, Williams went on to explain how the song “Crave” from “This Is Why” makes her want to relive the trio’s early days.
“When the guys showed me ‘Crave’ I was so excited because it had been a long time since we had anything that looked like it,” he told NME.
“We don’t like to give too much credit to nostalgia, we like to move on. But with music, you can’t escape that feeling. I was like why do I always miss the moment I’m in because I am so worried about when this is going to end?” .
Last year, Williams attributed the ongoing revival of the 2000s to a sense of “on-air frustration”. He said: “I think some people want to go back to what seemed, in retrospect, a simpler time.”
Elsewhere, in the latest NME Big Read, Paramore explained how her post-‘After Laughter’ hiatus was “a necessary detour”.
“There was a need to not be so hung up on being Paramore – that’s all it ever was,” Williams told NME. “We were in high school when we met, and by the time we got out of high school everyone knew who we were and the way we related to each other naturally changed.”
The trio also explained that “we wanted to incorporate more of the immediacy, guitars and music that inspired us when we started the band” when creating “This Is Why”.
In a five-star review of the album, NME wrote, “‘This Is Why’ is as in tune with today’s avant-garde rock textures as it is a letter from love to Paramore’s brilliantly caustic debut.”
Paramore will embark on a UK and Ireland tour in April. Bloc Party and Rozi Plain will be the first part of the group during the concerts. You can see the full schedule below and find remaining tickets here.
APRIL 2023
13 – 3 Arena, Dublin
15 – International Arena, Cardiff
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17 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
18 – AO Arena, Manchester
20 – O2 Arena, London
22 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham
23 – O2 Arena, London