Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams’ new album, “Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party,” is an album with a lot to say. It masterfully balances scathing political commentary, feelings of intense nostalgia, navigating through a (rumored) breakup and the impact of all these things on Williams’ mental health.
The rollout for the album was quite irregular. On June 28, Williams surprised fans by uploading 17 singles onto her website. She waited until August 1 to upload the songs onto streaming services. The songs were combined into an album released on August 28, along with an additional song “Parachute,” which has received acclaim and some traction on TikTok.
The Paramore fandom has debated whether “Parachute” and another recently released song, “Good Ol’ Days,” could be a sign of the end of Williams’ relationship with Paramore bandmate Taylor York. While this somewhat parasocial rumor hasn’t been confirmed or denied, these two songs pack an incredibly emotional punch. “Good Ol’ Days” is an R&B-inspired track laden with references to Williams’ past, like the lyric “Who knew the hard times were the good ol’ days?” being a reference to Paramore’s 2017 hit “Hard Times,” for example.
“Parachute” is a more traditional break up song. Williams sings about the movie-like life she envisioned with her partner before lamenting that he couldn’t catch her – declaring that she now knows better than to leave home without a parachute.
The album has garnered the most attention for its title track, “Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party,” which targets the racism prevalent in the Southern music scene. The opening line, “I’ll be the biggest star at this racist country singer’s bar,” sets up a surprisingly chill song which angered the fans of country stars such as Morgan Wallen. On “The New York Times’” music podcast, “Popcast,” Williams said, “[Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party] could be about a couple [people], but I’m always talking about Morgan Wallen.”
While the title song got Williams plenty of attention, her performance of the song “True Believer” on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” kept her in the public eye. Williams was supported by a backing orchestra mainly composed of people of color and delivered a rousing performance. “True Believer” is easily the most loaded song on the album; the first verse deals with gentrification and how this process has slowly destroyed many of Williams’ most formative memories. The second verse delivers an even stronger message, critiquing modern Christianity: “They say that Jesus is the way, but then they gave him a white face / So they don’t have to pray to someone they deem lesser than them.”
Musically, Williams mainly takes an indie rock approach but dabbles in several other genres. For example, the rage-filled opening track “Ice In My OJ” has elements of noise rock. Occasionally, she goes back to her typical pop-rock style with songs like “Glum” and “Kill Me,” but the songs where she steps out of her comfort zone are where Williams truly stands out. “Mirtazapine” takes a post-grunge approach while “I Won’t Quit On You” falls into the folk category. Experimentation and variety are what make the album special. Williams takes chances and wildly weaves her way between styles. While not every song is a masterpiece by any means, they all feel distinct, making for an incredibly interesting and enjoyable listening experience.
The album is incredibly well produced, the variety of instruments is mixed perfectly and the incredible voice of Williams is always able to shine through even during the loudest moments.
“Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party” presents a varied hour of music that packs a punch. Williams excels vocally, as always, and has delivered yet another essential piece to her solo discography.
