Hayley Williams
After a surprise drop of mp3s on a secret website in July, Nashville rockstar and Paramore vocalist Hayley Williams released not one, not two, but 17 singles on Aug. 1 to the surprise and delight of fans in the Music City and beyond.
Depending on the order in which you listen, the tracks seem to weave a tale of a relationship from beginning to end, with songs about self-doubt and darkness, family and Southern culture woven in. Fan speculation went into overdrive following the drop; Williams and Paramore bandmate Taylor York confirmed a long-rumored relationship in an interview with The Guardian in 2022, but neither party has commented since. Williams asked fans to make their own playlists using the 17 tracks as they would arrange them on an album to help her determine the official running order for a physical release. That list was unfortunately leaked, and Williams’ private Instagram account @edaabp confirmed that the information was correct on Aug. 21. The post also revealed the existence of an 18th track titled “Parachute” and teased many other surprises that remain unspoiled as of this writing. Though no official word has come, a formal release announcement seems imminent.
Tentatively titled Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party (a name it shares with one of the songs), Hayley’s Version™ of the record kicks off with “Ice in My OJ,” a mash-up of majestic choral interludes, nearly feral screams of “I’m in a band!” and a hilarious interpolation of “Jumping Inside.” That’s a song by an early-Aughts tween praise band called Mammoth City Messengers, which Williams was a member of. It’s a perfectly chaotic introduction to a not-album that is actually an album.
Next up is “Glum,” which got a music video treatment by AJ Gibboney and Paramore’s Zac Farro. In it, Williams dons the world’s coziest sweater and earnestly asks: “Do you ever feel so alone / Like you could implode and no one would know?” Williams’ list follows this up with “Kill Me,” 2025’s exhausted answer to Kelly Clarkson’s infectious “(Stronger) What Doesn’t Kill You.”
Track 4, “Whim,” is more of a wish than a love song, while “Mirtazapine” is a love song — just one dedicated to antidepressants. Shortly after word came that government funding cuts were going to impact Nashville Public Radio along with thousands of other arts organizations, Williams gave “Mirtazipine” to WNXP to debut — further evidence of her dedication to Nashville independent music. The song is a touching callback to “26” from Paramore’s 2017 LP After Laughter, in which Williams sings: “They say that dreaming is free / Well I wouldn’t care what it cost me.” Eight years later on this almost-shoegazey new solo song, she sings: “Mirtazapine / You make me eat / You make me sleep … You let me dream.” Life really can get better, but sometimes it just takes a little extra help.
Then comes a duo of probable breakup songs — but if you are looking for a “You Oughta Know,” you’ll be out of luck. First is “Disappearing Man,” which laments a relationship lost to a partner’s inner darkness — as Williams herself sings it, “My final act of love was surrender.” That’s followed by “Love Me Different,” an anthem of parting ways amicably that champions the determination to love yourself first. Track 8 is “Brotherly Hate,” a reflection on the complexity of familial relationships, and track 9 is the self-explanatory “Negative Self Talk.”
“Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party” comes in at No. 10. There’s a music video for this one too, featuring state Rep. Justin Jones, as well as Ms. Williams dancing along Lower Broadway, home to many of the “racist country singers’ bars” she mentions in the lyrics. She also does karaoke in legendary local dive Santa’s Pub. The production is an eyeroll emoji personified, but it’s not without a tenderness for the Nashville that was — and still is if you know where to look. Near the end of the video, Williams scrawls “I still believe in Nashville” on what looks like a bathroom wall in permanent ink.
It’s back to interpersonal struggle on track 11 with “Hard,” where Williams laments losing her softness to a troubled relationship and her desire to find a way to feel more openly again. Up next is “Discovery Channel,” which flips a boorish Bloodhound Gang lyric on its head. “True Believer” may be the most viral of the 17 tracks depending on which corner of the internet you dwell in. It’s a condemnation of the toxicity that so often pervades Southern culture, from blatant racism to the hypocrisy of the inescapable megachurch industry. There are no metaphors or allegories — only Williams spilling out the biting truth.
Hayley Williams
Next, “Zissou” references Wes Anderson’s infamous oceanographer to wax poetic about struggling to get to the depths of another person. The film connections continue with the next song: “Dream Girl in Shibuya” explores the shadows of a relationship in which the newness has worn off. If it gets a music video that doesn’t reference Lost in Translation, a great opportunity will have been lost!
The not-record ends on a note of commitment. The final two songs “Blood Bros” and “I Won’t Quit on You” make it clear that though the nature of a given relationship may change, some connections are too strong to be broken.
Update, Aug. 28: Williams announced that the singles are now collected as an album called as Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party on streaming services. Physical copies will be available Nov. 7.
