Album Review: Petals For Armor | Hayley Williams

This is Album #36/20 that I listened to for my 2020 challenge. I listened to this album 8 times for my review.

Here are some quick stats about Petals For Armor by Hayley Williams:

• Album #1

• Released May 8, 2020

• Album length: 55:47, 15 tracks

• Peaked at #18 on the US Billboard 200 (On the chart for 1 week so far)

• Genre: Alternative/Indie

• Metacritic Score: 84/100

I am a huge Paramore fan. Paramore is probably one of my favorite bands (if not my absolute favorite) ever. I love Hayley Williams, I think she is such a charismatic performer, she has a great voice, and I'm just a fan of her as a person. I've listened to every Paramore album and officially released song they have put out and I love them all. So of course, I've really been looking forward to this album. This has been one of my most hyped albums of the year.

I did really like this album. I think I'm slightly conflicted, just because it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. I think it's a little different for me as a super fan of Paramore. I think I had certain expectations based off of what she has put out before with Paramore. This album is very different from what Paramore puts out, but I suppose it makes sense that this is Hayley's chance to experiment with styles that she doesn't usually get to do, and she gets to do her own thing. Some of the songs got a little too experimental for my taste, where I would wonder if Hayley was doing these things because she actually likes them, or just because she wants to make sure that her solo music stands apart from Paramore's music.

It's been awhile that an album has had songs that I really dislike, but here it is. I'm going to have to do a track list breakdown for this one:

1. Simmer

2. Leave It Alone

3. Cinnamon

4. Creepin'

5. Sudden Desire

6. Dead Horse*

7. My Friend

8. Over Yet*

9. Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris

10. Why We Ever*

11. Pure Love

12. Taken

13. Sugar On The Rim*

14. Watch Me While I Bloom

15. Crystal Clear

(*-like, bold- dislike)

Some of these songs it really took awhile for me to get into because they're a little odd and dissonant (songs like "Leave It Alone" and "Cinnamon"). But these eventually grew on me. Some songs I never really liked ("Creepin'," "My Friend," "Sudden Desire," "Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris"). These songs were quite annoying to me. And then there's some songs that I absolutely love ("Dead Horse," "Over Yet," "Why We Ever," Sugar On The Rim")! My most favorite is "Dead Horse." Other songs that I didn't specifically note as a like or dislike, were more than just meh for me (Usually on my album listens, I have songs that I really dislike, songs that I really like, and the rest are very bland and forgettable and I don't have many thoughts on them, but that is not the case for this album). I do quite like the other songs on the list, they just aren't my absolute favorites on the album.

I think this album offers a lot of variety between songs. There's a lot of different musical styles and ranges. It definitely gets experimental, which I can appreciate. It did take me awhile to warm up to it, but I eventually started really getting into it. This album is definitely memorable. Every song on the album is distinct and stands out in my memory. I think Hayley's vocals sound great. Hayley wrote most of the songs with just one other writer (a few songs she wrote with two other writers). She also played some of the instruments too. So as always, I just always appreciate when the main talent is integral to the creative process behind the scenes as well. I also just want to shout out that I love that Taylor York is involved as a musician, producer and writer for this album as well.

Recommendations:

Listen or don't listen? Listen. I definitely think this is worth a listen. I think the album is a little weird and different so that it feels important, but at the same time it's not so weird that it will completely put people off of it. I think people who aren't Paramore fans would like it. I think Paramore fans might initially be a little thrown off because it may not be what they expect, but I think will they will ultimately like it.

Buy or don't buy? Buy. This one is a little difficult for me to answer. As a Paramore fan, I might be a little biased, but I do think this album as a whole is really good. There are quite a few songs that I consider to be bad or annoying, but there are just as many songs that I really like. The album as a whole is really unique and memorable, and I think this album really offers something special. I also always want to support artists that are central to the creative process behind the scenes.

I really liked this album. It did take me a bit to get into it, and there are some songs that I will never like, but most of the songs are pretty great and unique! I will probably listen to the album as a whole again in the future. I will definitely continue to listen to the scattered, few songs that I really love. And I of course will continue to support Hayley and Paramore. I'd rate this album a 8/10. Have you listened to this album? Let me know your thoughts down below!