The rock fan’s fear of the pop reinvention runs deep. It always lurks just off screen; the echo of a sell out chant they fear they might one day have to turn on a band that used to get them.
That’s true even if we’re talking about a band like Paramore, who it’s always been assumed would eventually cast their distortion pedals into the abyss in favour of the giddy, fantastic pop record they had in them all along.
On surface inspection, ‘After Laughter’ is that turning point. This is a record that has its roots in the wide-ranging chart moves of the ‘80s, when synthesizers were a brave new frontier and the footsteps to follow in belonged to Prince, Debbie Harry, David Byrne, Susanna Hoffs or Mark Hollis.
But it’s not Paramore’s grand pop statement. It’s bright, punchy and resolutely grit free, but it also lags behind their best work, which has (shock!) always relied on the fact that they were pop kids playing rock songs. 'After Laughter' is hardly a sore thumb.
The melodies that Hayley Williams has belted from front to back at arenas around the world have often been unusual, complicated things that somehow also scratched a deep-seated itch to sing along. This record doesn’t consistently do the same.
Hard Times, the lead single, and its immediate follow up, Rose Colored Boy, are two moments when things click. The former indulges a ringing funk lick and an idiosyncratic chorus sign off wonderfully, while the latter scales a hook that stands alongside Williams’ finest. Just when we think we’re out, she reels us back in.
Further down the road, though, are the momentum-sapping, lachrymose Fake Happy and 26, songs that speak of poor sequencing and, in the case of the latter, a desire to craft something that might rival The Only Exception in the ballad stakes. Forgiveness, too, is a terribly bland stab at tapping into Fleetwood Mac’s brand of west coast pop.
And yet, Paramore survive. Even at their most uninspired they know what they’re doing. They’re good at this. Pool, another fizzing melodic entry, drags things back into line and the album’s second half then takes it up a few notches. A couple of songs from the end, Idle Worship drives home that powerful ability to make something fresh and exciting sound instantly familiar.
While it's true that sections of ‘After Laughter’ would wilt if asked to go 12 rounds with, say, Ain’t It Fun, that malaise doesn’t extend to Williams’ words. Much of the record’s heavy lifting is done by a lyric sheet that eloquently lays out anxiety, depression and the pressure foisted upon her shoulders as a public figure and role model. That this will be a straight-talking affair is apparent from the record’s opening lines: “All that I want is to wake up fine. To tell me that I’m alright, that I ain’t gonna die.”
Much has been made of the band’s revolving door line up - there are the same number of original members on this LP as on their self-titled, they’re just different ones - and Williams goes some way to addressing the emotional damage that wreaks on Grudges. “Are you recounting all my faults?” she sings, likely referencing returning drummer Zac Farro. “And are you racking your brain just to find them all? Could it be that I've changed? Or did you?” The real sting, though, arrives with Idle Worship’s deconstruction of fame and persona, where Williams bites back at the level of expectation that hounds her. “Don't hold your breath,” she sings. “I never said I'd save you, honey.”
The final shake up is an album that necessitates proper attention and also one that struggles to hold it. Had Paramore’s bag of tricks extended to melodies as bold and perceptive as Williams’ lyrics then we’d have one hell of a record on our hands. As it stands, ‘After Laughter’ doesn’t quite pull off that perfect pop balance of light and dark.
Paramore Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Thu June 15 2017 - DUBLIN Olympia
Fri June 16 2017 - BELFAST Waterfront Hall
Sun June 18 2017 - MANCHESTER O2 Apollo
Mon June 19 2017 - LONDON Royal Albert Hall
Wed June 21 2017 - BRISTOL Colston Hall
Thu June 22 2017 - EDINBURGH Usher Hall
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