When Hayley Williams began writing lyrics for the songs that appear on Paramore's self-titled new album, she found herself feeling more optimistic than ever before about the future of the band she has fronted since she was fifteen. The lead-off single "Now" with lyrics like "if there's a future, we want it now" - sets the urgent tone of Paramore, the band's fourth album. Given the choice of packing it in or reinventing themselves as a trio, Williams, guitarist Taylor York, and bassist Jeremy Davis chose the latter and made a positive, uplifting album that reflects who they are in the present.
