Paramore reflect on 10th anniversary of self-titled album: “Thank you for allowing us the room for creative risk”

nme.com:

Paramore have shared a touching message for their longstanding fandom, reflecting on the decade that’s passed since they released their pivotal self-titled album.Their fourth full-length effort, ‘Paramore’ was released on April 5, 2013 via Fueled By Ramen.

It was their first album a three-piece following the (rather messy) departure of brothers Josh and Zac Farro – who played guitars and drums, respectively – some three years earlier, and in the lead-up to its release, they described it often as a “statement” on that split.Looking back in a new statement shared on social media, frontwoman Hayley Williams emphasised that making ‘Paramore’ took “a lot of guts and self-determination”, particularly amid rabid fan (and critic) speculation over whether the band could thrive without the Farros (Josh had been an integral part of Paramore’s songwriting dynamic on their first three albums).

She added that there “was so much discourse around whether or not the band could make anything worthwhile,” Williams continued – let alone stay together”.Noting that Paramore’s first decade was “rife with reality show-style drama”, the singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist went on to reflect fondly on the otherwise tumultuous story behind ‘Paramore’: “It’s really great to be able to look back from where we are now, knowing the story didn’t end when some said it would.“If all that led to our Self-Titled album hadn’t happened, we’d be the most boring band of all time.

If we hadn’t been forced out of our trauma-bonded comfort zones, we would’ve never known what we might be capable of.”Thanks were shared to the album’s producer, Justin Meldal-Johnsen (with whom Paramore also worked on 2017’s ‘After Laughter’ album), with Williams citing him.