Song Review: ‘Now’ by Paramore

The one time quintet has now dwindled to a trio. But the unwanted downsizing of Paramore has only truly made them a stronger and tighter group.

Many thought Paramore wouldn’t be the same since losing their two founding members. However, every other remaining member has stepped up in the song-writing process and has thrown in ideas proving this band is really composed of adequate and surprisingly good songwriters as well. And it is not only Hayley Williams who has the final say on what gets put in as the final choice of lyrics for each song.

They are all exhibiting the growth that every band needs to hurdle challenges that may put a halt to their careers temporarily or even permanently. Struggles really can either help build the character of each band or it can destroy them. Paramore has chosen to survive and is set to release their fourth self-titled studio-release in April 9, 2013.

Here is my song review of “Now”.

This song really is in a constant state of build-up and growing tension. It has more emotional depth than anything I have heard from the band in some time. With Hayley belting out the bridge of the song… “There’s a time and a place to die / And this ain’t it!”…, one can sense what Paramore has gone through in the last four years. The departure of the Farro brothers and the uncertainty of the future of the band seemed too much for her to bear solely on her own. And just maybe, that burden could be one of the reasons why Hayley has chosen to listen to other bands—”weirder” bands, if you will—and tried to forge a fresh new sound for the band.

A prime example of this attempt is the utilization of less distortion with their guitars, thus coming out with a cleaner guitar line which reminds me of a Yeah Yeah Yeah’s track. From the instrumentation and choice of lyrics, Hayley has made it clear that Paramore will let their influences shine in this one.

I remember reading an interview piece with Hayley a few months back and she did acknowledge there that a number of “weirder” bands will be their main influences for their next yet untitled album to be released by April 9, 2013.

If Hayley had wanted to sound experimental and more diverse than any of  their previous releases, she certainly achieved it here. She not only changed how some of us think of the band musically, but she has also extended the life of the band as it steers away more and more from the “emo” labeling that once hovered over their heads, by exploring a more unfamiliar sound.

“There’s a time and place to die but this ain’t it” is the strongest line from the entire song for me. This really shows Hayley isn’t going to give up on the band. That is my interpretation of what this line could mean.

There lies the strength of the band—and it has always centered around Hayley. She isn’t only the lead singer of Paramore but more importantly, in my opinion, she its “heart”! Lesser bands would have given up but these guys are still at it and making music together.

When it comes to the production value of “Now”, it is tight and well polished. This is one of the few Paramore tracks I can think of where the digital effects and vocal tweaking are clearly audible. Absent though are the distorded guitar riffs that have become so familiar with most Paramore tracks.

Instead, what we have is a more danceable and poppier feel to this song. I suppose this lends a more “experimental feel” to it. If “Now” will serve as an accurate preview of what the rest of the album could sound like—production wise—then, we are all in for a treat and surely a few surprises along the way.

Thumbs up!