Paramore’s lead singer Hayley Williams just released her debut solo album, Petals for Armor. It features indie supergroup boygenius on “Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris” and is entirely produced by her longtime friend and Paramore guitarist Taylor York.
The album had an unorthodox release schedule. It is divided into three different EPs—Petals for Armor I, II, and III—with 10 of the 15 songs dropping before the project’s final release date. Williams made this decision so fans could digest each EP and each song independently in order to appreciate the album as a whole.
Petals for Armor deals with a vast array of themes and topics. The lead single, “Simmer,” and “Cinnamon” address rage and femininity, while songs like “Sudden Desire” and “Pure Love” are about lust and love. Additionally, this is the first time Williams has publicly talked about her divorce and all the chaos that came with it, as detailed in “Dead Horse.”
Williams spoke to Vulture about how this album differs from previous Paramore records:
There was no pressure to sound like I’ve always sounded or to be recognized. Every song was a different process. ‘Cinnamon’ started with me on drums. ‘Simmer’ started with me scatting into a mic. There wasn’t a map, so my voice matches whatever compass we were using. I feel most in my power when I can say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ calmly, even if there’s a lot under that. I’ve spent a lot of my career and my life trying to yell at a wall, trying to get a point across to people who often didn’t care what the point was. Now I realize my power doesn’t exist there. There’s no movement there. But when I can stand in it and it’s just for me, it’s not about proving anything. I have more conviction. Then the point gets across.
