Paramore – After Laughter
Fueled By Ramen
1. Hard Times
2. Rose-Colored Boy
3. Told You So
4. Forgiveness
5. Fake Happy
6. 26
7. Pool
8. Grudges
9. Caught In The Middle
10. Idle Worship
11. No Friends
12. Tell Me How
Paramore have returned with more than just a new album with After Laughter, they find themselves with a brand new sound. For their 5th musical offering Hayley and the guys which once again features Zac Farro on drumming duties have dropped the pop punk rock stylings of previous releases for more of a new wave guitar pop sound that sounds right out of the 1980’s.
Head banging drums and heavy riffs have be replaced with groovy funky bass lines and beats that you can dance along to. It’s a complete transformation for the band which not just shows off Hayley’s incredible voice as well as her and the bands range as a song writers and musicians and shows that they aren’t afraid to experiment and change things up even if for just one album although I hope thats not the case as After Laughter has all the makings of becoming my favourite Paramore album.
It’s rather hard to pick any real standout tracks on After Laughter (although at the end of this I will) since all the songs are of such high quality and you really can’t beat the cool funky vibes this record holds tight and true throughout. This is an album that will be on heavy rotation throughout the summer but will so also sound at home in the winter months due to its warm sounds and images that it can provoke.
Away from this record It will be interesting to see how these songs sit along side the bands back catalog in the live setting although I’d be more interested in hearing some of that mentioned catalog revamped into this new more dance laden guitar pop style, if not just for the fun of it.
After Laughter has transformed Paramore into more than just a rock band and has really elevated their game to another level. I’m not always a fan of bands completely changing up their sound or style but After Laughter is such a confident sounding record that you would be mistaken for thinking that this is who Paramore have always been and could open them up to a whole new set of fans.
STANDOUT TRACKS: Hard Times, Told You So, 26, Pool, Caught In The Middle, Tell Me How
RATING: 9/10
The Alternative Nation 
Leave a comment