Hayley Williams – Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party

This article has been imported from chorus.fm for discussion. All of the forum rules still apply.

After the surprise drop of 17 new singles that mysteriously appeared in late-July on the official website of Hayley Williams, the singles got an official streaming release on August 1st. Williams’ move set the record industry a bit aghast, as these songs live without a true “home” (as of this writing) of a standard album, no official tracklisting, and a litany of interpretations from longtime fans of the Paramore front-woman. Simply dubbed as Ego, these new songs are brimming with unlimited potential and purpose. 2020’s Petals for Armor highlighted what Williams could do on her own with her vibrant and infectious personality, and paired it with the long-documented trauma of her past divorce, while the 2021 sophomore follow-up of Flowers for Vases / Descansos backed up my feelings that Hayley Williams was more than capable of letting her star shine brightest without the umbrella of Paramore. Ego, while not officially dubbed as the third album from Williams, still plays out with a clear vision and bating heart behind these 17 tracks that accentuate her ability to convey a wide range of emotions in her vibrant music. Not one for conforming to the norms of the music industry, Ego re-imagines the possibilities of what music is and can be about as Hayley Williams re-cements herself in the singer-songwriter genre with a brilliant artistic statement.

”Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party” for all intents and purposes here, “opens” Ego as Williams lends her piano talents to the opening bars of the song, while later crooning, “I’ll be the biggest star / At this racist country singer’s bar / No use shootin’ for the moon, no use chasing waterfalls / I’m the biggest star / At this racist country singer’s bar.” It’s one hell of an opening statement to claim, and her swagger is contagious enough to make you believe her. “Glum” was the second single to get a video treatment, and it finds Williams singing with a bit of a different vocal approach that makes her sound a bit younger (?) in the verses, while showcasing a more confident, matured, and “full” sound in the chorus. “True Believer” allows for Williams to explore the concept of spirituality as she mentions with the pointed lyrics in the second verse of, “They put up chain-link fences underneath the biggest bridges / They pose in Christmas cards with guns as big as all the children / They say that Jesus is the way but then they gave him a white face / So that they don’t have to pray to someone they deem lesser than them.” Well, damn. Hayley Williams absolutely nailed that concept down to the way she delivered those lyrics in her vocal performance, and she even takes a brief pause to let these words sink into the listeners’ souls to ensure she was heard.

”Ice In My OJ” begins with some “ahhhs”, much like starting out our day with an emphatic yawn to see what type of fresh hell awaits us at our jobs and lives. The chorus features some barely audible shouts of “I’m in a band, I’m in a band!” where Williams may be reminding herself, and possibly others, of the haunting shadow of Paramore that looms large. “Kill Me” offers a great-sounding bass line and a cool approach to the songwriting process that Williams went for on Ego, as she ponders her own mortality while she sings, “Eldest daughters never miss their chances / To learn the hardest lessons again and again / Carrying my mother’s mother’s torment / I think I’m where the bloodline ends / I’ll never do the right thing again.” The insight that Williams provides here is much like reading through her diary entries, as she leaves no stone un-turned, and not thought left unspoken.

”Love Me Different” features a sample of “Fior di Latte” by Phoenix, and the island-infused riff plays out well over Hayley’s vocal style found here. The balanced lyrics of “And I know that you’re probably telling yourself that no one’s gonna love me like you did / And I know that you’re probably right about that, but someone’s gonna love me different / And I want someone to love me different,” highlight her quest for true love and connection that all humans desire, while “Mirtazapine” features some abrasive guitar playing from Williams much like The 1975’s “Give Yourself A Try”. “Hard” goes pretty damn hard, if I don’t say so myself, as the simplistic beat found throughout the song allows for Williams to sing rhythmically, much like a rapped verse. The chorus features an all-time bassline, while she follows with a loaded second verse of, “I got married once in combat boots and / Only listened to testosterone music / I had to my kill my feminine just to do it / To get to you, I had to go through it.” Williams once again delves into her past relationship to find healing moving forward.

”Brotherly Hate” swoons above the mix and plays out like a dream sequence in this record, and the key track of “Discovery Channel” is built around an acoustic guitar and an interpolation of the chorus/hook from The Bloodhound Gang’s breakthrough single of “The Bad Touch.” It somehow works pretty damn well in the context of not only the lyrics of the song, but also the overall themes found on Ego.

”Whim” sounds like one of the better songs that Hayley Williams has ever written, and I mean that with the highest of praise. It reminded of the carefully crafted guitar pop of artists like Maggie Rogers, while Williams truly shimmers in her songwriting here. “Disappearing Man” loops the opening vocal hook, and leans into the production that is largely handled under the watchful eye of Daniel James (Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez). “Negative Self Talk” finds Williams at her most vulnerable as she admits, “The long walk between the car and the house / I just sit behind the wheel ’til the battery runs out / Home is where we were loud, used to sing down the hall / To your signature sound / Now it’s just so quiet, I hate this gorgeous house / Can’t hear my heart beat over emptiness now / Chorus of my worst thoughts, drawing curtains shut / As hope takes a bow.” It’s a stunning admission of the pain that trauma can have on a person, and finds her reclaiming that sound that she went for on the first two solo records.

”I Won’t Quit On You” gradually builds up steam as it unfolds, although it largely relies on the power of Hayley’s warm vocal approach and the subtle hum of a guitar amp to round out its approach. “Zissou” opens with the lyrics of, “I keep telling you the water’s fine / You show up in a scuba suit / So come out to the deeper side / We could be like team Zissou,” that shows where the song got it’s name from the Bill Murray cult comedy. “Blood Bros” is simply stunning in its overall composition, and features a great combination of guitar playing on an acoustic guitar, with nearly-whispered vocals from Hayley Williams to convey the raw emotions and themes of blood being “thicker than water.”

The last song that rounds out this era of Ego is “Dream Girl In Shibuya” recall Williams’ more recent quest to find love again as she croons, “I know you know me now like the back of your hand / But can I still get your heart reeling?” It’s a great love song in general, and it’s hard to not root for her eventual happiness in her quest for that pure human connection. While I re-listened to the 17 songs on Ego that play out well in all different types of “playlist creations” that I’ve seen in the forums, it’s truly a remarkable statement for Hayley Williams to still turn the music industry on its head after all this time in the business. Ego, for lack of a better name, it’s a career-defining gem of a record.

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