Paramore by Paramore

Paramore is the fourth studio album by American rock band Paramore. It was released on April 5, 2013, through Fueled by Ramen as a follow-up to Brand New Eyes. Recorded between April and November 2012, the album was described by the band as being a "statement" and a reintroduction of the band to the world and to themselves. It is the first album without guitarist Josh Farro, the only album without drummer Zac Farro and the final album with bassist Jeremy Davis before his departure in 2015. The album was produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen, with lead guitarist Taylor York co-producing on four tracks. In contrast to the band's previous work, the production of Paramore contains the band's experimentation with new musical genres, such as new wave and funk rock, and features three acoustic interludes. Paramore received acclaim from music critics, who praised the band's maturity and experimentation in terms of musicianship as well as Williams' vocals and overall presence on the album. Several publications included the album in their year-end lists, including The A.V. Club and The Guardian. Paramore was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 106,000 copies. The album also topped the charts in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Ireland, and New Zealand, where it became their first album to reach its peak. It also became their second chart-topper in the United Kingdom. In March 2016, Paramore was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for sales exceeding 1,000,000 units. The group followed the record release with The Self-Titled Tour in promotion, with European, North American, Asian, Latin American, and Oceania legs announced. In 2014, the band co-headlined Monumentour with Fall Out Boy. A deluxe edition of the album was released on November 24, 2014, which includes two new tracks, a demo, a re-recorded version of "Hate to See Your Heart Break", and live tracks of songs from their previous albums. Four singles were released from the album: "Now", "Still Into You", "Daydreaming", and the Grammy-winning song "Ain't It Fun". "Still Into You" and "Ain't It Fun" have reached the top ten positions on various charts in the United States and have been certified double platinum by the RIAA, making Paramore the first of the band's albums to have produced more than one double-platinum single. In November 2022, the band changed the album cover on streaming services to an image of Hayley Williams shot from behind for unknown reasons. The recording of Paramore began in April 2012 with the song "Daydreaming". After a brief pause, the recording resumed on June 27 of that year and ended on November 1, 2012. It is the first Paramore album released after the departure of Josh and Zac Farro, both of whom left the band in 2010. The album was produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen, longtime bassist for Beck and Nine Inch Nails, who has previously produced records for M83 and Neon Trees. In an interview with Electronic Musician, Meldal-Johnsen stated he wanted "the album to sound very visceral and a little bit less locked down and computerized, more 1981 than 2012, with a nod to 2016." In an interview with Digital Spy, Taylor York stated "I don't think we've ever been so proud and satisfied with something we've done." On June 29, 2012, the band confirmed that former Nine Inch Nails and current Angels & Airwaves drummer Ilan Rubin would be recording drums for the album. In an interview with Rolling Stone, lead vocalist Hayley Williams explained "That whole time for our band was such a dark season. It was emotionally exhausting, and by the time we got around to the point where we were going to start writing, we just really wanted to enjoy the process of making an album" when asked about the direction of the band after Brand New Eyes. Regarding the album being self-titled, Williams explained "The self-titled aspect of the whole thing is definitely a statement. I feel like it's not only reintroducing the band to the world but even to ourselves ... By the end of it, it felt like we're a new band." She also stated that she was inspired by Blondie's and Siouxsie and the Banshees' records when writing the new songs: "They’ve got so much heart and soul in them." On December 6, 2012, Paramore revealed the name of the album and the release date, as well as the name of the first single from the album. The track list was announced on January 18, 2013, by Alternative Press. During the 2013 Soundwave Festival, Paramore held a listening party in Sydney, New South Wales on February 26, 2013, followed by Melbourne, Victoria two days later, run by Australian Music Channel, Channel V. Williams revealed a section of the lyrics for the song "Part II" which the winners were able to hear at the listening parties on a LiveJournal post. Williams told fans that "'Let The Flames Begin' has been a favorite of ours to play live, as well as being a favorite of most people who come out to our shows... We wanted it to have a sequel. 'Part II' it is!" The vinyl version of the album was streamed beginning on April 1, 2013, for four days, with each day playing one of the four sides. The album was then officially released on April 5, 2013. The band played an acoustic version of "Hate to See Your Heart Break" on the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge on April 3, 2013, announcing that on the same night, the full song would be premiered on their official website. On April 20, 2013, the band released an EP for Record Store Day, titled The Holiday Sessions, released exclusively on a 7" vinyl, and is composed of the three interludes from this album. A music video for "Anklebiters" was released on June 25, 2013. The song, however, was not released as a single. The Self-Titled Tour took place from October 15 to November 27, 2013. The Self-Titled Tour took the band through 27 cities across North America, including their first headline show at Madison Square Garden. On August 22, 2013, the band announced their own cruise, called the "PARAHOY! Cruise", sailing from Miami to the Bahamas and back on board the Norwegian Pearl, which took place from March 7 to March 11, 2014. On January 9, 2014, the band, along with Fall Out Boy, announced a co-headlining North American tour dubbed, "Monumentour", which took place from June 19 to August 31, 2014. On January 22, 2015, Paramore announced "Writing The Future", a round of small shows across the United States, closing out the Paramore touring cycle. It lasted from April 27 to May 25, 2015. A deluxe edition of the album was released on November 24, 2014. The deluxe edition includes a new version of "Hate To See Your Heart Break" featuring Joy Williams, Paramore's first collaboration. The album has been a major commercial success worldwide, debuting at number one in eight countries including the UK, Ireland, Scotland, Argentina, New Zealand, Brazil, and Australia (where it was the eighth consecutive number-one debut on the chart and also the 32nd self-titled album to top the Australian chart). The album also peaked within the top 20 of 9 other countries. In the US, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 106,000 copies. This marks the first Paramore album to reach the top spot on the chart. "Still Into You" charted within the top 10 in Australia and Ireland and reached the top 20 in several others. The single topped the UK rock chart and peaked at number 14 in the singles chart, thus becoming the band's second-highest charting single in that country, behind "Ignorance" from the band's previous album Brand New Eyes. In the US, the song peaked at number 24, matching "The Only Exception" from the same album as the band's highest charting single at the time. It also peaked at number 6 on the US Rock Chart and number 8 in the US Mainstream Top 40. "Ain't It Fun" shared similar success, charting within the top 10 in Canada and Hungary. It eventually became Paramore's best-selling single to date in the US, charting at number ten in the Billboard 100, number 2 in the US Mainstream Top 40, and number 1 in the US Rock Chart and Adult Top 40. The single marks the first time a Paramore song has reached the Top 10 in the US. ℗ 2013 Atlantic Recording Corporation for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States