Paramore is back with their latest album following a 4 year hiatus, titled “After Laughter.” This punk rock band is regarded as one of the most complicated bands out today’ with old band members leaving for one album then returning years later for another. Drummer Zac Farro for example is coming back after leaving the band 7 years ago in 2010.

This new album is produced by Justin Meldal-Johnsen and current band member Taylor York on the label Fueled by Ramen. The album is primarily pop rock and synth-pop. They seemed to have dropped their punk roots. Their fan base seems to have mixed reviews with this new sound. For the title “After Laughter” front woman Hayley Williams states, “It means that look on a person’s face when they laugh really hard and then there’s this moment where they come back to reality — I like watching for it. Maybe I’m a little bit of a creep.”

The album consists of a total of 12 songs: ”Hard Times”, “Rose-colored Boy”, “Told You So”, “Forgiveness”, “Fake Happy”, “26”, “Pool”, “Grudges”, Caught in the Middle”, “Idle Worship”, “No Friend”, and “Tell me How.” Singles “Hard Times” and “Told You So” have had gathered together a total of 31.3 million views on YouTube.

After listening to the album 5 times, I can safely say it is different from their previous albums. I enjoyed how they have a more “pop” influenced sound. My two favorite songs from the album are “Fake Happy” and “Idle Worship” because they are relatable to many people. “Fake Happy” expresses the struggle some people go through to seem happy, but really aren’t. While “Idle Worship” is about how people can be confused about what “heroes” they need in their life and those they don’t need.