Over the past few weeks I’ve been tearing my hair out in frustration at Linkin Park’s neutered pop direction, mainly because of its severe lack of sincerity. It made me wonder about similar bands that had made the same transition but actually got it right. There are numerous examples, but I couldn’t think f any in that particular moment. Then news broke that Paramore had released their long-awaited new single “Hard Times”.
I’ve always had mixed feelings about Hayley William’s and her ever-changing bandmates. When they first came on the scene they could be place firmly in the emo genre box, but with a slight pop edge that made songs like “Emergency” take up residence in my head for days. Their second album, weirdly entitled Riot despite the fact that its sound was lighter than their debut, was the last time I paid Paramore any attention enjoying it but not loving it. There was always this niggling feeling that emo was to confining for their sound, that they could go full pop without losing their soul or creative spirit much like Tegan and Sara.
So I thought “Hard Times” would be a blast from emo’s past only to find myself utterly compelled by this new wave pop number. I seriously thought I had the wrong video but no, Paramore have produced a song that harks back to The Cure’s poppier days, with a hint of Oingio Boingo in the chorus, and a video that is reminiscent of Peter Gabriel’s sledgehammer, in spirt more than in practice. With all of these obvious influences it would make sense that “Hard Times” would sound derivative, much like those Linkin Park releases that haunt my nightmares, but Paramore have obviously worked extremely hard to make sure their voice is still the dominant one.
“Hard Times” is an excellent pop song, a song that makes me eager for the band’s new album, which is something I never thought I would say in 2017.
