Paramore's first new album in five years is on its way

“We wrote and tracked something we loved and it actually surprised us,” Williams tells Rolling Stone in an email. “We kept joking it was all downhill from that point, but thank God we’ve been surprised a lot throughout this whole thing. I’m always waiting for the moment for us to know we’re onto something new and we’re not just rehashing the same shit.

“It was ‘Ain’t It Fun’ for our self-titled record, and ‘Hard Times’ or ‘Told You So’ for After Laughter. It’s not about it feeling like a hit so much as it’s a scary, exciting feeling that you’re treading uncharted waters. It keeps you curious. We got to feel that feeling early on this time.”

While their previous two offerings were Paramore’s most straightforward pop yet, Williams says they are returning to their earliest influences. She says it’s not going to be a “comeback ‘emo’ record” but will bring back a more guitar focused and heavier drum sound, which is close enough for this writer.

“The music we were first excited by wasn’t exactly the kind of music we went on to make,” Williams says. “Our output has always been all over the place and with this project, it’s not that different. We’re still in the thick of it but some things have remained consistent from the start: 1. More emphasis back on the guitar, and 2. Zac should go as Animal as he wants with drum takes.”