Brand New Eyes

Paramore

By: Dave Jaffer

Epitomized by Ignorance and Brick by Boring Brick, Paramore's third full-length finds the kids growing up. Hayley Williams isn't a bright-eyed, naive ingénue anymore. Her vocals here are distinctly more adult and assured than on Riot! and the leaps in songwriting generally are impressive. As such, Paramore seems poised to be in the pop game for a while. They're not there yet, and still can't write a complete album, but there's a ton of catharsis and growth on display here. Mark my words: This is the calm before the storm, the album before the watershed moment.

• Latest reviews
• Most popular