The album is mostly fine for me. I’m not the biggest fan of funk and disco, so some of the influence is not what I would normally gravitate towards. Even if it’s not a song that I particularly enjoy, the chorus in the title track is super catchy. Props to them for that. After a few listens on headphones and car speakers, I definitely prefer the second half. You First and Crave were my favorites. I’ll probably return to those a good amount. Liar and Figure 8 were also good. Happy to see them release a new album.
I love You First, I really really do, but that chorus melody+lyric pairing is very meandering and clunky. The beginning and end of the chorus are both so strong and it always starts to lose me a bit in the middle. Also, C'est Comme Ça is less grating now but I wince every time I hear the "atrophy to hell" line. To its credit I haven't skipped the song on any listen yet. Also, I feel like the song's mixing is muddier than the rest of the album. These are the few things I'm still fixating on though, absolutely loving everything else.
C’est is definitely one of those songs for me that feels way better in the context of an album. It just has that weird, “semi interlude” energy to it, especially with that intro barely sounding like the rest of the song. Kinda reminds me of Folie a Deux in terms of wit and indulgence, even if the song itself doesnt match the musical tone of that record. It even has the same vague idea as She’s My Winona in the bridge
That’s fine lol. To me, the first half of the album has some disco and funk feel to it. The chorus to This Is Why, some of the guitar work, and some of the group backing vocals reminds me of The Bee Gees or Our House Madness. It’s not music related, but some of the design and aesthetics for this album cycle also reminds me of the 70s. To each their own I guess.
This is Why: That chorus just rules so much and is stuck in my head every day. Running Out of Time: Love the whole vibe of this one. C’est Comme Ca: I love the spoken word verses. And I love a good “nanana.” You First: This is probably the most “Paramore TM” song on here. So good front to back. Figure 8: The intro to this one reminds me of “Silhouettes” by American Football. This one has a cool vibe to it. Crave: Love the chorus on this one. This song gives me the feeling of being at an outdoor festival in the middle of the day. Gives me Coachella vibes for some reason. And how good is that belty part before the last chorus??? Thick Skull: Love the drumming on this song. Anyway, those are the songs I’m diggin the most after my second full listen. Now, back to your regularly scheduled program.
C’est Comme Ca: I love Hayley's yell/belt on "I still need a certain degree of disORDAAAaa" and "But the high cost of chaos, who can afFORD IIIIIIT"
C’est Comme Ca is easily one of my favorites from this album, actually shocked that people who like the album still rank that song low. And on the topic of hooks, the Cest Comme Ca chorus has been stuck in my head for the last month
To be fair, I think some people and songs can pull of repetition and some can't. It's a hard line to walk between annoying and catchy. Sometimes it just seems lazy.
Had my first listen without being extremely stoned and it still sounds great, still kinda partial to the songs with dreamier guitars like Liar and Crave but Running out of Time and Big Man are my other favorites out of the more catchy stuff
Yep, I don't think it is actually being lazy most of the time but so often I'll just wish the songs had more to them rather than repeating the same line or section.
wrote a little about angry songs and "You First" in my newsletter today https://buttondown.email/jordywalsh/archive/17-you-first/
love the way Hayley syncs up w the band on the “just like a stray animal” line in You First. so many lil subtleties I am picking up on w further listens
Yikes…. Might be the biggest disappointment of 2023 for me. Knowing what this band can do and they do this…. I’m all for bands experimenting but someone should have reeled them in a bit.
Hoping the mixed response to this drops resell prices because this album rules and I gotta hear it live
this is so far from what I would consider “experimental” it’s kind of wild to me that some people think it’s that out there.
The band sent me and some other fans a PR box of sorts I guess, with some cool shit. So nice of them!