Normally when artists branch off from their bands, it either means that the band is over or that the soloist is better with their band. This isn’t true for Hayley Williams, who branched out from Paramore to debut her solo album, Petals for Armor, in 2020. Released 16 years into her music career, Petals for Armor almost provides an extension of Paramore, displaying similar sound and lyricism, likely because Williams primarily writes for both—the musical vibes this week: solitude, healing, anger, and rediscovery.
Revealed in its story, Petals for Armor is somewhat of a diary entry for Williams, detailing her life as a woman experiencing change. Chronicling the end of her longtime relationship with New Found Glory member Chad Gilbert, Petals for Armor almost serves as a middle stage for Williams’s grief, as she wades through the murky waters of therapy and finds new love after trauma.
The album opens eerily with “Simmer”, seemingly opening up the conversation for the trauma soon to be described and preparing for what’s to come as Williams hauntingly whispers “Wrap yourself in petals.” As the album continues, we hear “Leave It Alone” describe feelings of loss, and “Cinnamon” finding Williams reclaiming her solitude stating “I’m not lonely, baby, I am free.” As we find ourselves in the middle of the album, Williams begins to really confront things in “Dead Horse,” realizing she stayed in her previous relationship for way too long (10 years, to be exact). We begin to wade out of the murky waters and into clearer ones with “Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris,” a revel for women in unhappy homes. This particular track is special as it features background vocals from my favorite three women: Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus, and Phoebe Bridgers.
As Williams wraps up her story, she tells us about how she’s doing now. “Pure Love” and “Taken” are moving, as she begins to open up to romance again and finds herself proudly in a new relationship. The album closes with my favorite track, “Crystal Clear,” a song about her blooming romance with fellow Paramore member Taylor York. A tidbit about this song that really sets it apart is the melodic lyric “Friends or lovers, which will it be?” The voice we hear singing this is actually Williams’s grandfather singing an original song of his, which York snuck into the track during the final production stages.
The entire album features interpolations to both of Paramore’s most recent albums, which I really love. Hayley Williams has a unique storytelling power and uses her ability to make music that serves as a compass for other women who are also just trying to grow. Listen to this album, and I promise you’ll feel seen as much as I did when I heard it for the first time.
