Paramore have always found themselves at the forefront of whichever genre they’ve delved into. Whether it’s pop punk, or emo and now 80s-inspired soaring pop, the band have crafted a career based on constantly progressing and building on foundations previously established.

The weaving theme that carries the band’s music is they’ve always acted as a voice of guiding reason, letting fans know that it’s okay to not know exactly what you want to be. Paramore have manifested this kindness within all of their music – the pop punk bangers, acoustic ballads and alt-rock scorchers – all of it.

The band are bringing their electrifying live show to Australia next month off the back of their critically acclaimed 2017 release After Laughter. With that in mind, we’ve been having a few arguments in the DBU HQ as to which could possibly be Paramore’s best release – they’re all excellent, but every album holds a different personal meaning for each listener.

Here’s a rundown of all 5 incredible releases, highlighting our favourite bits of each, and trying to do the almost impossible and pick a fave…



ALL WE KNOW IS FALLING – 2005

Retrospectively, there’s a charming naivety about All We Know Is Falling. Spearheaded by the Farro brothers proclivity for writing chuggy-yet-melodic guitar lines, the album took the foundational moodiness of early 00s pop punk acts like The Movielife, Rufio and Bayside and injected it with a burning ferocity.

Much like the name, there’s a pulsating feeling of existential dread that acts as a bubbling undercurrent throughout the album, balanced with glimmer of compassion and understanding – a theme at the heart of Paramore’s music to this day. Tracks like ‘Pressure’ and ‘All We Know’ propelled the band to the top of the pop punk-sphere showcasing their knack for huge choruses and massive builds that’d only improve with time.

RIOT – 2007

There’s no denying Riot! Altered the pop punk spectrum upon its release. It’s the album that saw the band transcend the Warped Tour bubble and into the mainstream consciousness, forcing plenty of teens to vandalize their school diaries and dye their hair a steamy red. Riot! in many ways is the ultimate high school album, in the most timeless way possible. At a time when emo had become the radio’s flavour of the month and the world was swept under a wave of eyeliner, something about Riot! stuck out entirely.

Nothing was quite as snarky, punchy or straight up bad-ass. Hooks haven’t soared quite as high and scathing poeticism hasn’t met a match as powerful as ‘Misery Business’ since and driving, eclectic pop bangers like ‘That’s What You Get’ and ‘Fences’ showcased a penchant for taming their ferocity and channeling it into

BRAND NEW EYES – 2009

Brand New Eyes saw the band delve deeper into maturity, manifested in the darker themes and sounds played with on the album. The last album featuring both Farro brothers was an international smash that solidified the band as icons and the certifiable voices of a generation.

Equally, punk driven and post-hardcore influenced ‘Ignorance’ that saw the band continue their foray as total radio darlings, whilst ‘The Only Exception’ even saw the band delve into wedding song territory, spawning millions of acoustic YouTube covers. Slow burning acoustic track ‘Misguided Ghosts’ is as much of a statement on the quality of Williams’ voice as it is their ability to write tear-inducing bangers.

SELF TITLED (PARAMORE) – 2013

Most bands would’ve thrown in the towel after facing the tribulations Paramore did between Brand New Eyes and the release of their stunning self titled effort. Four long years saw lineup changes, world tours and heartbreaks shape the band as people, ultimately influencing their sound. The album is the perfect culmination of having a history skewed in pop punk, respecting it whilst experimenting with indie rock and new wave. Most Paramore fans had grown out of their side fringes and skinny jeans by 2013 and so had the band themselves. Did Paramore technically “reinvent” themselves on Self Titled? No. The theme weaving the iconic band’s spanning career is honesty and understanding, found in bucket loads on this release.

‘Still Into You’ burst out of the gates with a gleeful intensity, with its striking riff, bouncy and at times, over the top vocal delivery, sugary sweet lyrics ushering the band into a new era of positivity. The epic heart-blaring balladery of ‘Daydreaming’ that showcases a musical maturity but the glimmer of youthful, renegade spirit reigns true. Highly informed by new-wave punk ’Ankle Biters’ is a crushing critique of the pressures of society whilst dream-pop meets funk anthem ‘Ain’t It Fun’ saw the band scoop up their first ever Grammy.

AFTER LAUGHTER – 2017

On After Laughter, Paramore are adults who’ve faced the tribulations of love, loss and grieving. They perceive the world with equal parts hope and cynicism – a combination that culminates in the nuanced pop sounds, dizzying choruses and sweet synths.

Taking cues from Talking Heads, HAIM and even Carley Rae Jepsen, on a surface level it seems like a frolicking pop album – its deep retrospection masquerading as songs that wouldn’t sound out of place at any uber-cool party. It’s pulled off with an aplomb that pays tribute to the band’s confidence in not worrying about the expectations placed on them.

‘Rose Coloured Boy’ is an insightful look in Williams’ public struggles with mental health, carried by popping bass lines and cutesy vocal hooks. ‘Fake Happy’ is the anthem of a generation spewed the lies of social media and ‘Forgiveness’ is the most adult the band have ever sounded.

So, what’s our favourite?

After a marathon listening and deep analysis of Paramore’s career, choosing an album that trumps the rest of them is next to impossible. Watching the band develop and continually create new avenues that ensures they’re never ‘boxed in’ is something deeply enthralling and inspiring to watch.

On that merit, awarding After Laughter with the title of “best of the best” seems appropriate as it showcases that unlike a lot of bands, Paramore are improving with every release. If All We Know If Falling is the perfect album, and they’ve continually gotten better, does that mean Paramore have transcended perfection? We’ll take that.

Don’t miss Paramore on their Aussie tour this February, and if you haven’t already listened to Paramore’s incredible 2018 album After Laughter, give it a listen or grab your copy, and check out our full review of it here.



Paramore Australia 2018 ‘Tour Four’ Tour:

Thursday, 8th February

Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne

Tickets: Live Nation

Friday, 9th February

Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney

Tickets: Live Nation

Sunday, 11th February

Riverstage, Brisbane

Tickets: Live Nation