Reviews
Album review: Hayley Williams – Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
On her most explorative solo release yet, Hayley Williams explores depression, loss, reputation, and how the ego impacts us all…
Not for the first time in the band’s 20-year lifespan, Hayley Williams has had to state that Paramore haven’t broken up – although they are ‘on a break’.
Paramore fans, relax: Hayley Williams has said that the band haven’t broken up.
Following the release of her incredible new solo album Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party, the musician clarifies to our pals at The Face that Paramore are ‘on a break’ right now. “Do we ever know where we’re at?!” she jokes of their status. “We always take huge breaks. In order for us to metabolise shit that we go through as people, it takes the amount of time it takes between albums.” Hayley adds that, “There are no better musicians in the world than Zac [Farro] and Taylor [York]. There are no better performers than the Parafour. It’s just magic, man.”
Speaking about the genesis of Ego Death…, Hayley reveals that it came from finally finishing her 20-year contract with Atlantic Records, which came to an end with Paramore’s most recent album This Is Why in 2023. “I just thought it’d be like a birthday party,” she admits. “‘Oh, we’re finally done. Freedom.’ But we don’t really talk that much about the grief that can come with good things. It was a giant change that also left me asking, ‘What am I going to push against now?’”
In our 5/5 review of Ego Death…, Kerrang! said: “Marking her first release outside of Atlantic Records, Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party is the most vast summation of Hayley’s story so far. A musical purge of trauma patterns, depression, love, loss, and of course, ego, the wit and honesty of Hayley’s lyricism is the shining star of this work. It’s an unboundless exploration of a life lived under the scrutiny of misogyny and in the public eye from one of our time’s most creative and fearless artists.”