Paramore have spoken to NME about how their hiatus after their 2017 album ‘After Laughter’ was “a necessary detour”.
The band took a break following a global tour in 2018 which saw frontwoman Hayley Williams concentrate on her solo career, which saw her release two albums – ‘Petals For Armor’ and ‘Flowers for Vases / descansos’. Drummer Zac Farro also released two albums, ‘Natural Disguise’ and ‘Motif’, under his project Half Noise.
Speaking about the band’s hiatus in this week’s Big Read cover interview, Williams said: “It was a necessary detour. It was necessary not to be so hung up on being Paramore: it’s all it’s ever been. We were in junior high when we met, and by the time we had gotten out of high school, everyone knew who we were and the way we related to each other naturally changed.”
She continued: “Paramore is a huge part of our friendships, but it’s about what’s underneath. It’s the fact that we bond over artistic and creative activity and the compulsion to make things. It was time to give it a rest, and if we needed to make something, to challenge ourselves to find new outlets for it.”
“Talking Heads are a great example,” she said of a similarly plotted creative family. “There’s Tom Tom Club [bassist Tina Weymouth and drummer Chris Frantz’ side-project], there’s David Byrne’s solo work: you can see the source of their creativity with one thing, but where they go with it is another.
“Going on a mission to find new creative perspectives, no matter what you do, is important to a creative mind. When you force yourself to look from different vantage points, what you end up making is so much deeper and more complex. What we’re coming back with is a deeper feeling about why we do what we do.”
Elsewhere in NME‘s latest Big Read feature, Paramore spoke about how people looked back on the ’00s emo era “with rose-tinted glasses”.
The trio also explained how they were “wanting to incorporate more immediacy, guitars and music that we were inspired by when we were first starting the band” when making ‘This Is Why’.
In a five-star review of the album, NME wrote: “‘This Is Why’ is as in tune with the textures of today’s forward-thinking rock as much as it is a love letter to Paramore’s brilliantly caustic early days.”
Paramore are set to embark on a UK and Ireland headline tour in April. Bloc Party and Rozi Plain will open for the group at the gigs. You can see the full schedule below, and find any remaining tickets here.
APRIL 2023
13 – 3Arena, Dublin
15 – International Arena, Cardiff
17 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
18 – AO Arena, Manchester
20 – O2 Arena, London
22 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham
23 – O2 Arena, London
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