Petals For Armor I (EP) Hayley Williams

• 1 Simmer 04:26
• 2 Leave It Alone 04:05
• 3 Cinnamon 03:31
• 4 Creepin' 02:58
• 5 Sudden Desire 03:07
• Total Runtime 18:07

Info for Petals For Armor I (EP)

Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams has released part one of her debut album, PETALS FOR ARMOR. The five-track EP includes previously released singles ‘Simmer’ and ‘Leave It Alone’.

Williams announced her debut solo record just a few weeks ago and shared its first single ‘Simmer’. ‘Leave It Alone’ followed soon after, both of which were produced by Paramore’s Taylor York.

“I’m so ready and so incredibly humbled to get to share this project,” said Williams. “Making it was a scary, empowering experience. Some of my proudest moments as a lyricist happened while writing PETALS FOR ARMOR.”

To coincide with the EP release, Williams has dropped a music video for track three, ‘Cinnamon’. It was directed by Warren Fu, who also worked on ‘Simmer’ and ‘Leave it Alone’. Fu’s music videos are the stuff of legend – his past credits include The 1975’s ‘It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)’, CHVRCHES’ ‘Miracle’ and Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky.

We all know her and we all love her. She’s the absolute powerhouse and colourful character that came into every alternative music lovers lives in 2004 in the shape of Paramore. Yes, I am talking about Hayley Williams. For years she has created pop punk music with the band that we all know and love so much, but this year she decided to branch out on her own. It has been teased for quite some time via Williams’ social media but nothing was ever officially stated until late last year that something was actually going to be coming.

‘Simmer’ was the first offering that was released into the world and I will be honest, this one took me some getting used to. I was a little torn about how I was feeling towards it since it was something so different and I wasn’t a huge fan of the random breathing sounds, but once I had listened to it a few times, I grew to absolutely love it. The lyricism that is behind this song is just unbelievable. There is a certain level of vulnerability that comes with this track that I feel we haven’t ever really seen from Williams’ songwriting skillset before. It is very raw in emotion and anger, which I feel is usually quite hidden in the bands music when they release things.

Hayley Williams
At 16 years old, Hayley Williams released her first album with Paramore, a spunky emo-pop band that featured her vocals, lyrics, and songwriting skills. The group had formed two years earlier in Franklin, Tennessee, where Williams and her bandmates -- bassist Jeremy Davis, drummer Zac Farro, lead guitarist Josh Farro, and rhythm guitarist Jason Bynum -- attended high school while playing shows around the southeast. Paramore eventually signed with Fueled by Ramen, making them one of the only female-fronted bands on the label’s roster, and began courting an international audience after the release of 2005’s All We Know Is Falling.

From the start, Williams attracted a good deal of attention with her fiery red hair, unique wardrobe, and vocal talent. Her singing chops earned her a string of cameos on other albums, including October Fall’s A Season in Hell and Say Anything’s In Defense of the Genre. Williams remained focused on Paramore, though, whose 2007 sophomore effort, Riot!, went platinum in the U.S. and achieved gold status in four other countries. The band hit the road in support of the record’s release; during the lengthy tour that followed, Williams and Josh Farro (who had been dating for much of the band’s existence) broke things off, and the band introduced newcomer Taylor York to the lineup. Paramore also charted another hit with their contribution to the Twilight soundtrack, “Decode.”

Williams made more guest appearances in 2009, including a performance on the New Found Glory track “Tangled Up.” Meanwhile, Paramore wrapped up work on a third album, Brand New Eyes, and released it that September; it debuted at number two and quickly went gold. Also appearing that autumn was Williams’ first solo composition, "Teenagers," which was included on the movie soundtrack to Jennifer’s Body. One year later, Williams returned to the upper reaches of the charts with “Airplanes,” a collaboration with hip-hop artist B.o.B. that peaked at number two in America and topped the charts in England. (Andrew Leahey, AMG)

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