'Hard Times' sees Paramore's neon playfulness in full effect

With a car crashing through a wall, step into a whole new world. Welcome to 5more. Yup. Paramore are back. Their declaration remains confident and firm, despite the band once again shuffling members and changing direction but really, was there any doubt? Dialling up the feel-good sugar of ‘Self-Titled’s brightest moments, ‘Hard Times’ takes the electrified baton and dashes it forward. Once again, this is a band falling head first into a new era. Neon lines dance about the track while jagged lightning bolts light up the horizon. Primary colours are key. There’s volume at every turn. They’re not simply shouting a little louder though. ‘Hard Times’ is much brighter than that. From the wide-eyed, “All that I want is to wake up fine. Tell me that I’m alright, that I ain’t gunna die” to the “Hard times, gunna make you wonder why you even try,” the first taste of ‘After Laughter’ deals in the aftermath. Lashings of feel-good cover the track but there’s stillness to survival. Glancing over the shoulder, ‘Hard Times’ celebrates the good times while they roll. Not that the track shows any signs of slowing down. Bouncing about the place, the band’s charged return covers a lot of ground and while energy is key, it never feels rushed. There’s a knowing smile to every flourish, a nod before every twist and a sense of control running rampant. It might be a different shade to the band but their defiant, free-flowing attitude is still burning neon-bright. Taking the blacks and blues of reality and adding their own special shine, their technicolour playfulness is in full-effect. The chapter is brand new but the declaration remains the same. We are Paramore. We do what we want.