“This is the most Hayley Williams rollout I’ve ever seen,” said a Reddit user, four days ago. And they’re not wrong. The prolific artist’s hungry legion of fans have grown accustomed to her mysterious on-and-off relationship with social media, the gaps between projects, and looming questions about the future of her work — whether it be with her solo project or Paramore.
However, amid all of the mystery, Williams has proven to be one of the toughest, most assertive, and simultaneously vulnerable ones out there. Her method of working on her own time, with her own set of rules, is not only creative and tongue-in-cheek — it’s admirably boundaried.
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As if on a drip feed, we were first introduced to new music with “Mirtazapine,” a triumphant shoegazey track that mulled over mental health struggles while showcasing yet another soundscape in which the artist shines. Then, earlier this week, the Paramore lead vocalist hit us with 17 dreamy new songs via hayleywilliams.net, stylized like a site straight out of the ’90s — alongside a new shade of hair dye from her brand Good Dye Young, “Ego.” Then, she promptly deleted them. A pixelated message, “Hello, there. Thank you for listening,” was all we were left with.
But today (Aug. 1), itching listeners got their salve. The new songs were released as a collection of 17 separate singles via Williams’ new venture Post Atlantic — a play on Paramore’s 20-year contract with Atlantic, which they officially finished last year — distributed via Secretly Distribution.
Sonically, each track is truly idiosyncratic — though Williams’ heartfelt, personal style, a tug-of-war between all things rough and tender remains throughout. Produced entirely by Daniel James, and featuring collaboration from Paramore band members Brian Robert Jones and Joey Howard, she moves through trip hop, indie-rock, folk, ’90s grunge, and early aughts Bloc Party-era alt-pop with an ease that would be impressive if it weren’t coming from Williams, who long ago made clear her proficiency is genre-fluid.
Across the 17 tracks, Williams lays heartbreak on the table and leaves nothing out. She unravels her complicated relationship with the South, and her hometown of Nashville, as well as the religious values that permeate it, and samples a song by Christian group Mammoth City Messengers (which she sang on) for the chorus of “Ice in my OJ.” Seemingly dichotomously, she also samples the 1999 comedic song, “The Bad Touch” by Bloodhound Gang on “Discovery Channel,” putting a far deeper spin on the track than one might imagine possible.
In lieu of a formal title, fans are calling the project “Ego” or “Ego Death.” Though rumors are flying, a full album or tour remains up in the air. For now, we’ll be grateful for what we’ve been given.
Here are our 5 favorite tracks:
“Glum”
“Love Me Different”
“Hard”
“Kill Me”
“Ice in My OJ”