Review: Petals For Armor - Hayley Williams

Hayley Williams - Petals For Armor - Amazon.com Music

By Eleni Haberis

Hayley Williams. Hayley from Paramore. A Capricorn Queen. What introduction could I even give this woman? Her voice is so powerful and charismatic that there was a time when any female-led pop punk band was described as a knock-off Paramore. But beyond that, Paramore did what Fall Out Boy and many other popular bands of their time have struggled to do: stay relevant AND cool beyond feelings of nostalgia. 


Hayley and Paramore allowed us to grow with them: lyrics about angst, struggling with pain, friends, pretty much anything heavy about life. They were honest and easy to relate to, just like Hayley herself. She was only about 17 when Paramore really started to take off, and to be so young and vulnerable with millions of people watching is something we’ve seen destroy artists, especially such emotionally connected ones. Hayley instead took this opportunity to be real with us and learn together, and I think that's what has kept her so grounded and allowed us to continuously fall in love with her. Not to say Hayley hasn’t struggled in her own right; she often speaks about her battle with mental health and has recently gone through a divorce after 10 years of marriage. This is where her new and debut solo album comes into play: Petals For Armor.


Oh baby, this CREATION.... *chef kiss*. This album and its release, much like the time we are living in and the newest chapter of Hayley’s life, is unprecedented. Although the full tracklist did not drop until right before the album’s release, PFA songs have been gifted to us throughout the year in the form of EPs. This gave us the opportunity to get familiar with the album, and really digest its flow even though it was staggered in release. I’ve noticed the album seems to get louder and louder with each song, with each EP; allowing us to hear her feelings, wallow in them, rage with her, and then move on. Hayley started writing this album by accident, penning poems about her feelings per suggestion of her therapist. A lengthy emotional process, she wants us to understand and share in that feeling through the music of this record. The way Hayley allows us into her mind has never been more intimate and raw.


The album starts with the song “Simmer” and the first moments are breath in, loooong sight out. It's maybe a sigh of relief, but more like the sigh you make before cleaning up a big mess. You know something good is going to come out of your hard work, but man does it fucking suck to look at the mess you made. The main point of this song comes down to the lyrics “how to draw the line between wrath and mercy.” Hayley is angry and confused, but knows it's time to calm down, and clean up, even though “it tastes so bitter,” which is the refrain in the next track “Leave it Alone.” This song sounds like an ode to Radiohead's In Rainbows, with it’s melodic but almost uncomfortable beat (which isn't surprising since Hayley is a Radiohead stan). Some of the songs, much like Radiohead, get a little too messy, like on “Cinnamon” where the point is sometimes lost in the free flowing beat. Regardless of the execution, she remains uncomfortable, longing to feel calm and walk away. And that's what she does. 


This theme of overthinking comes up again (as what happens to overthinkers) in “Dead Horse.” “I beat it like a dead horse, I beat it like a drum/Oh, I stayed with you too long,” a very obvious call out to her ex-husband. If you don’t listen to this song's lyrics, it's a wicked fun pop tune, recalling After Laughter in its feel. She's trying to find the excitement in starting new, even though you know old, unhealthy habits are what led you to this point. Moving on is really difficult for her, and she's showing us all the different ways she is learning to deal with it. And boy, did she experiment, branching out emotionally and musically. This album is sprinkled with buttery bass lines, art pop refrains, disco riffs, verses that could be ballads; anything beautiful and smooth that Hayley could reach for, she brought into this. She even creates the indie rock supergroup of all supergroups on “Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris” with boygenius (Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker) to really solidify that this album is about depressed but powerful women. 


Eventually she reaches the end of this album with “Watch Me While I Bloom” and “Crystal Clear.” Maybe this is where the title Petals For Armor really comes into play. “Watch Me While I Bloom” has pastoral imagery of uprooting yourself, the dirt, growing, a breath of spring. It really lets you visually and musically understand the mess and the hard work that is required to bloom. The hard work is rewarded with beautiful flowers, a badge of honor. Finally, with her new petals as armor, she can firmly, cathartically declare: “I wanna make it crystal clear, That I won't give in to the fear.” This album is a full journey - of course we needed to listen over the course of months! I’m grateful she gave us the time to sit with her. This album is like a witness talk, and I’m glad I had so much time to really listen. 


(Also Hayley, if you're reading this, we have the same birthday and I LOVE YOU!! THANK YOU!! Phew, ok, fangirl time is over.)


BOPS: “Simmer," “Creepin'," “Dead Horse," “Sugar on the Rim," “Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris”

DUDS: “Cinnamon," “Taken”

More From Osmosis Tones

Albums of the Month: April

Image
By Zach Zollo Throughout the world, April 2020 was a lost month. The pandemic we are currently facing has brought out the worst in people as often as it has forced us to unite together, leading many to be frightened for the state of the world once we recover. Things, simply put, just keep getting worse. But, on the artistic bright side, it was a STELLAR month for music all across the spectrum.  Fiona Apple told us to fetch the bolt cutters , The Strokes' "new abnormal" turned out to be making music not indebted to  Is This It , Westside Gunn dropped his best project yet  (featuring a cover from Caravaggio) , and Walter Etc. released the best breakup album I've ever heard . On top of all that, here are the best releases from the month that we didn't get the chance to formally review.  Lovesick - RICEWINE I was first exposed to Melbourne’s RICEWINE through receiving his debut album, Today, from Spirit Goth’s Cassette Club. I was i
Read more

Music For Coping With COVID-19

Image
A Note From The Editor As the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 continues to increase, paranoia from misinformation and irresponsibility of leadership skyrockets while the American economy grinds to a halt. Those who need access to proper testing and medical care fear that they won't receive it, all the while the bell curve of the American healthcare system desperately needs to be flattened. Unemployment is only increasing, and the arts and services community - two of the most pivotal influences in my life - have been ravished to a point where a "bounce back" may not be enough.  Essentially, everything is terrible. But to not maintain hope at this time would be the gravest mistake of all. While the new normal has undoubtedly brought forth new trials and tribulations for every single human being, we must follow the guidelines set forth by our public health officials - no exception. Beyond our duties as citizens, we must not forget to face the horro
Read more

Teenage Halloween's Luke Henderiks Brings The Heat

Image
Luke Henderiks (they/them) of New Jersey's Teenage Halloween not only is the frontperson of an excellent band, they just so happen to run their own hot sauce label - Complete Goner Vegan Hot Sauce. To find out more about this culinary endeavor, I (Zach) spoke with them about what inspired them to cook, veganism, and (as always) the current state of DIY.
Read more

Review: Splid - Kvelertak

Image
By Greg Wiacek  Rock n’ roll, hardcore punk and black metal: a recipe that should promise some dirty, crusty, sweaty shit to fill my ears. Unfortunately, Splid , the latest outing from Norway’s Kvelertak, comes across as way too sterile, well-kept and calculated. Ever since the band’s (excellent) 2010 debut, they’ve accumulated a lot of clout from goodwill and networking. Converge’s Kurt Ballou has produced a majority of their records, John Baizley of Baroness created the cover art for their first two, they hang out with some OG 90s black metal musicians, and they have Norwegian song titles - they must be a cool band. But now , these guys sound like if Turbonegro and Fucked Up had a shameful one night stand fueled by alcohol, with blast beats and tremolo riffing added to “spice things up.” Not to say Kvelertak doesn't deserve the respect they’ve received. They still employ 70s rock dual guitar noodling effectively, and their attempts to make some fist-pumping rock
Read more

Review: Likewise - Frances Quinlan

Image
By Greg Wiacek I’m going to try to review Frances Quinlan’s debut solo album without mentioning her voice. Fuck. But what a voice. It’s often the first thing people notice when they hear her band, Hop Along . Raw and powerful yet tender, Quinlan constantly takes it in unpredictable directions, at times pushing it to what sounds like the physical limits of the larynx. Her erratic melodies and penchant for drastic shifts in dynamics (literally going from a scream to a whisper at times) would likely sound like a complete mess if sung by anyone else. But she’s a master at controlling the chaos, making it sound composed, natural, and ultimately captivating. Take, for example, “Waitress,” where her voice sinks with the lyrics “and my heart just sunk,” only to go on to belt out during the climax of the song in one of the most cathartic releases I’ve ever heard.  When she announced that she was releasing a solo album, I was certainly intrigued (particularly with how sh
Read more