Album Thoughts - After Laughter
June 8, 2017
After Laughter - One month on
“Hard times, gonna make you wonder why you even try.”
In a tumultuous time for Britain and the world, politically, economically and environmentally, society is under a great amount of stress and pressure, and this is culminated in a rise in depression and anxiety problems for millions of people. 2017 has seen some recognisable faces come to the forefront and speak openly about their personal difficulties, to acknowledge how we all face these things in our lives, and no one is peculiar for feeling down sometimes. The young royals in-particular have blown the issue wide open with their revelations that even our Princes and Princess have experienced such dark feelings.
Amongst all of this Paramore come out with long awaited album After Laughter…
“For all I know, the best is over and the worst is yet to come.”
It’s taken me the past month of listening to the new record to really settle with it and get into it. It’s so disconcerting. This album carries such an amazing beat, even the slower tracks make you want to move your feet, Paramore have captured an amazing slice of the past and mixed it with some modern funk and have created a pop rock party record. Yet. Once you’ve heard the songs a few times, you start to bypass the beat, and listen to the lyrics. It’s the most wonderful contradiction. Hayley sings about feelings of worthlessness, having no energy or will to do things, faking happiness to please other people and many other troubling situations. With such frank self exposition, I believe Hayley has helped so many people. Listening to this wonderful, talented amazing young woman sing about such things makes me for one feel like I am not alone.
You’d think a record about hiding from and struggling in your life, would be a dark affair, but it’s the opposite, it’s a celebration that we all have difficulties and that we can all come out of the other side.
We thank Paramore for another phenomenal album, for another step forward in the story of world mental health openness, and for touching our souls as well as moving our feet.
“Hold onto hope if you’ve got it.”
