I’ve covered so many bands that I’ve been rinsing lately as they’ve been conveniently touring, so it makes sense to give Paramore some airtime via artist spotlight, given their welcome comeback.

If you’re an avid Record Weekly reader or you know me personally, it’s no secret that I was an emo teen. And I won’t apologise for still rating most of the music from that time. Paramore just float effortlessly to the top of that genre’s pool of pioneers.

Having watched some footage recently of Hayley Williams casually belting out her vocals in the studio with such finesse, yet apparent ease, the band also get seriously deserved props from me. I once wished I had her haircut; I’ve always wished I had her voice. But on their newest offering, ‘This Is Why’, I’m freshly in awe of their more indie-esque sound. You can hear the stark yet perfectly palatable (in fact, really, really addictive) difference in their output and I’m up for it. 

‘Emergency’, from their 2005 debut, ‘All We Know Is Falling’, was the first song of Paramore’s that hit my radar. It was a few tracks into the listing on a compilation that came with an edition of Kerrang! Magazine, and it didn’t really come off my stereo’s regular rotation for months thereafter. Classic me. It led to my buying of the full album, slapping up poster after poster of their faces on my Blu-Tack-punctured walls, and then experiencing the sheer giddiness induced by the release of 2007’s ‘Riot!’. What an immense follow-up that was.

While ‘Brand New Eyes’ and their self-titled fourth album were scattered with pure belters, I wasn’t quite as sold as I had been by their material in my formative years. But nevertheless, Paramore were in favourites territory, and they persisted to be a solid example of when female-fronted groups just get it right. And you can bet I was picking up my guitar heaps back then, too. 

This might’ve been more about my younger self than Paramore, but they have such a wealth of insanely fabulous music that the tunes sort of speak for themselves. 

Top tracks

Here’s an amuse-bouche to get you acquainted:

► ‘Pressure’

► ‘Misery Business’ 

► ‘Emergency’

► ‘That’s What You Get’

► ‘Still into You’