"Cry hard, dance harder" 'After Laughter' by Paramore - Album Review

Hiya, fellow Steemians!

Hope you're all doing great! I don't know if any of you have noticed, but I'm a BIG TIME Paramore fan. They're my favorite band in the world for several reasons... It's not just that their frontWOMAN Hayley Williams has an amazing set of vocal chords or that their melodies are beyond awesome, but their lyrics are very very relatable. Which brings me to Paramore's 5th album: After Laughter.

Source: Wikipedia

5more

It all started in Parahoy 2016, when Hayley told the audience that they'd be working on another album for us, a year went by and little by little they would "tell" the fans what was it about, but everything was very cryptic and secret. That was actually fun and they wanted everyone to make their comeback a big deal (plus, telling us that Zac Farro was back in the band): which they accomplished. Around April 2017, they changed their Twitter avatar a few times until they finally revealed the new Paramore logo.

Source: Twitter

Later that same month they released (at 8am, at least in my country) the first single and music video: Hard Times. And boy, those were hard times indeed.

I'm not gonna tell you when every single thing was released or the whole story because I'd never finish writing, but I do want to talk a little bit about the album, its songs and what it means to me. So let's get to it!

Source: screenshot from "Hard Times" official music video

A quick review

The name After Laughter actually refers to, as Hayley told Entertainment Weekly:

"It means that look on a person’s face when they laugh really hard
and then there’s this moment where they come back to reality..."

I think it's interesting to wonder about what pulls people back to reality, and kind of... I don't now, maybe sad (not in a bad or judging way). But anyways, this meaning and this name is a way to make us know what's ahead.

Hard Times

We all know at least one Paramore song: Hayley headbanging her heart out to pop-punk music. So it was a surprise to all of us when Hard Times opened the album. An 80s pop vibe with synths and some cool Afrobeat guitars. Weird and unexpected for Paramore but it's a pretty refreshing sound. They actually made it very easy to feel good about change. Now you get the idea of the album. Life is hard and sometimes it feels like you have no strength left to fight.

Also, check out the music video, you can see and feel the 80s vibes I'm talking about, plus it's got a bit of animation in it.

Favorite quote:

"Where do I go?
Gimme some sort of sign
Hit me with lightning!
Maybe I'll come alive."

Source: screenshot from official music video

Rose-Colored Boy

When life gets you down, sometimes all you want is to stay down for a while, to heal on your own and for people to stop telling you stuff like: "oh but it could be worse! Smile! Life is beautiful!". I think we've all lived that at least once. Although this song is that big "f*ck you" you need when wanting to tell those people off, we stay in the 80s but with a more bubblegum pop rhythm.

I think the music video represents more the point of view of the band, a rebellious side that doesn't want to be told what to do, and they do it in an 80s morning news show theme. So, wake up, Roseville, and go check it out, it's my favorite!

Favorite quote:

"You say we gotta look on the bright side
I say well maybe if you wanna go blind
You say my eyes are getting too dark now
But boy you ain't ever seen my mind"

Source: screenshot from official music video

Told You So

We move onto the third song, where we go from dark to darker. This is a very danceable tune as well, but it's that part of us that hates when someone rubs on our faces that they were right all along. Hayley's vocals in this song are amazing, specially live.

On the other hand, the music video, directed by their own Zac Farro, shows us how Hayley felt for a while. She'd barely leave her house thanks to depression, and the only "safe place" for her was riding along in Zac's or Taylor's car.

Favorite quote:

"For all I know, the best is over
And the worst is yet to come
Is it enough to keep on hoping
When the rest have given up"

Source: screenshot from official music video

Forgiveness

This is NOT your typical heartbreak song. The difference is that this one's very very real. Just the feeling of being betrayed or wronged by someone you love but not being able to let go just yet, not knowing what to do with yourself, with them, with the relationship. That's what this song reflects.

Favorite quote:

"And I don't pick up when you call
'Cause your voice is a gun
Every word is a bullet hole
Shot a hole in the sun
If I never look up maybe I'll never notice"

Source: fan art in Pinterest by unknown artist

Fake Happy

This is one of my favorites 'cause I've lived it way too many times. The name says it all. There's nothing more uncomfortable than having to go through the day with a mask on, pretending everything's okay, mostly because you don't feel like talking about what's bothering you and it feels easier to just put on a smile and tell everybody "hey, I'm fine!".

The representation in the music video is Hayley dancing and running around New York City, while every single person has an upside down smiley face, ending up in Times Square where you can see he smile vanish as she stares into the camera. I must admit I cry every time I watch it because of its realness. It feels like when you're in a party and go to the bathroom, you stare at the mirror, at yourself, cry a little and put your mask back on. It's heartbreaking.

Favorite quote:

And if I go out tonight, dress up my fears
You think I look alright with these mascara tears
See I'm gonna draw up my lipstick wider than my mouth
And if the lights are low they'll never see me frown"

Source: screenshot from official music video

26

This was the song that broke my soul into million pieces the first time I heard it... And the second time... Aaand the third... This is a very special song (my favorite After Laughter song) and the acoustic part of the album. Just the melody makes you wanna cry a lot. 26 feels like someone tied you up and took something away from you to never give it back. It's a crushing feeling of being trapped in a place, in a cage (of sadness), but somehow still merely hopeful.

FUN FACT
This song broke my heart even more live.

Favorite quote

"Reality will break your heart
Survival will not be the hardest part
It's keeping all your hopes alive
When all the rest of you has died
So let it break your heart"

Source: picture found in Pinterest by unknown

Pool

And now we have our kind of love song. But, then again, After Laughter is not meant to be a happy album, so don't expect this one to be cheerful. Pool shows another side of love, the side no one likes. When you actually ask yourself why are you still into a person that breaks your heart and it makes you tired. But, though you don't know how, you keep going. When you think of it, could be Still Into You's B-Side.

Favorite quote:

"Coulda got the same rush from any lover's touch
But why get used to something new
'Cause no one breaks my heart like you"

Source: fan art by Adora Chloé (@adorachloe on Instagram)

Grudges

A song of redemption, of forgiving AND forgetting, leaving the past and the Grudges behind as you grow up. This song is literally about that, about Hayley making peace with Zac once and for all and make room for friendship and love, to what's ahead, and just moving on.

In Grudges you can notice both Zac's voice and a HalfNoise-y kind of sound. (If you haven't listened to HalfNoise yet, STOP WHATEVER YOU'RE DOING AND DO THAT RIGHT NOW)

Favorite quote:

"Time is a bastard
I won't break my neck to get around it."

Source: fan art by Mia (@gothsloth06 on Twitter)

Caught in the Middle

The thing with this one is that it can mean SO MANY THINGS. For instance, you can feel the song is talking about not knowing how to deal with a big decision, or you're caught in the middle of depression, maybe you just feel stuck in the same place. I think Caught in the Middle is a way to represent those frustrating times and letting it all out.

Favorite quote:

"I was dreamin' life away
All the while just going blind
Can't see the forest for the trees
Behind the lids of my own eyes
Nostalgia's cool, but it won't help me now
A dream is good, if you don't wear it out"

Source: fan art by Mia (@gothsloth06 on Twitter)

Idle Worship

This song is basically an open letter to all those crazy fans who like to idolize artists, treating them like gods and setting a pretty high bar for them. And if they can't reach those expectations, they feel like they're letting their fans down. And life's not like that. Artists, bands, singers, everybody has the right to make music as they want, to live their lives without having to please anyone, to make art in ways they can freely enjoy. Paramore has had enough of it and this song is about that: stop worshiping them in that sick way, they are human, get them down from that pedestal and just show your support and love to the band, they'll appreciate it.

Favorite quote:

"Remember how we used to like ourselves?
What little light that's left, we need to keep it sacred
I know that you're afraid to let all the dark escape you
But we can let the light illuminate these hopeless places"

Source: fan art found in atrl by unknown artist

No Friend

When think it couldn't get any harder, this song strikes right through your skull. No Friend tells a story. It's written by mewithoutYou's Aaron Weiss and basically the whole story behind Paramore. The amazing thing about this song is what he does: he doesn't just only sings and narrates it, he makes it personal, he makes you feel what's the other side of being in a band, the dark one that no one sees, all the pain, the heartache, the sorrow it can bring. Plus, he either takes lyrics or titles of other Paramore songs to tell this story. It's harsh but it's a very explicit way to let people know what's really going on behind those masks they used to wear.

FUN FACT

"In any case please let me know if there's more I can give you
If nothing comes of it, then just know we are grateful"

These, the very last two lines of No Friend are actually part of an e-mail Hayley sent to Aaron asking him to write this song.

Favorite quote:

"I see myself in the reflection of people's eyes
Realizing that what they see may not be
even close to the image I see in myself"

Source: fan art by Adora Chloé (@adorachloe on Instagram)

Tell Me How

No Friend leaves you catatonic and thinking it's all over... When suddenly they hit you with Tell Me How. If you've ever lost a friend or a lover, specially in bad terms, this song WILL make you ugly cry. Honestly, the only explanation I can give you is that Hayley wrote this song thinking about all the band members that have left Paramore in the past, but I think it goes directly to band's ex-bassist Jeremy Davis, given the fact that their long time friendship ended in really bad terms (including a lawsuit).

Favorite quote:

"You keep me up with your silence
Take me down with your quiet
Of all the weapons you fight with
Your silence is the most violent"

Source: fan art by Adora Chloé (@adorachloe on Instagram)

So yeah, that's my review on Paramore's After Laughter, in my opinion, one of the best things that could ever happened in 2017. It's very emotional and very very very real and raw. This album speaks from the heart, it's in touch with so many emotions, it helps you deal with things you didn't even know that were inside of you. Listen to it very carefully and treat it with love.

And now that we know that maybe if it wasn't for Taylor York (guitarist), Paramore would've ceased to exist a couple of years back, WE THANK LIFE THEY DIDN'T GIVE UP, 'cause this masterpiece is the 42 minute therapy we all needed but never knew we did.

Hope you like it, and I'm sorry if you think this is way too long. Also, if you'd like me to write another album review, let me know!

Enjoy and remember:

Source: picture taken by Artlasso (@artlasso.photography on Instagram)

Love,

Ariboo 🐱♥️