Review

It’s been two and a half years since the band last released a new, full length album; an eternity to the Paramore faithful. In the meantime, fans have been snapping up every bit of music they could get their hands on, making The Final Riot live album and the bands Twilight single, “Decode” huge successes. If anything, this raised expectations even higher for Brand New Eyes. We’re happy to report: the wait was well worth it.

Brand New Eyes is easily the most mature and polished work the band has ever produced, both musically and lyrically. Borrowing more from the likes of Death Cab for Cutie than No Doubt, the album certainly has a more “indie” feel to it. The most obvious difference between this album and previous efforts is the new balance in melodic ballads and the same great breakdowns fans have come to know and love. While fans might not like to hear this, the first words that come to mind are: “this album is beautiful.”

You’ll still get the great riffs and fast beats on “Careful” and “Ignorance” but each of these songs are offset by a semi-acoustic ballad such as “The Only Exception” and “Misguided Ghosts.”

Although short on (s)punk, the trade-off is well worth it. It’s easy to see that Paramore have settled into their own on this album and through this musical maturity have gained the confidence to release the type of music they want to instead of trying to fit a predefined pop/punk mold . As a result, the album is full of heart, emotion and a good kind of southern twist that’s all their own.

Hayley Williams states it best on “Looking Up,” “God knows the world doesn’t need another band, but what a waste it would have been.” We’re glad they’re still around.

Review by Jason Schleweis

5 out of 5