Written by Miguel Tenicela
Hayley Williams is back with her solo debut track ‘Simmer’ and man, was this worth the wait.
Throughout the first week of the new decade the former Paramore frontwoman teased us with snippets of her running and the sound of her gasping for air. On Thursday, she left this writer gasping at the sound of the first track off her new album Petals for Armor.
The song opens with small drums slowly building into a rock-pop anthem that sets a tone for pop music in 2020. While the track takes possibly a bit too long to give us the vocals we so desperately are waiting to hear, it doesn’t disappoint. Throughout 2019 commercial artists gave us simple bass and synth low fi tracks which dominated the charts. Hayley doesn’t take this idea and put it on it’s head but rather rediscovers it through the eyes of a former (but not so former) rocker.
‘Simmer’ also sets itself apart from Hayley’s older music in Paramore in subtle ways. While live drums and bass guitar still fill the air of the track, we’re treated to small bites of her gasping for air in the same cadence as the drums. It tells the listener; This isn’t Paramore this a Hayley Williams! The chorus is still vibey and reminiscent of music throughout 2019, but it offers something new with its more rock edge. It answers a question in pop music I feel we’ve had for quite some time.
Who will really fill the void of someone like Gwen Stefani of the No Doubt era? Exactly where is the spearhead where Florence and the machine, Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift meet? Well, I think we got that answer today. It’s Hayley Williams. Not only am I left excited for the music she will release to follow this track but even more excited for how the larger commercial pop community responds. I’ve heard Selena, Demi, Halsey and Taylor’s latest music and to me they all fit on the same playlist.
Yet, Billie Ellish, Maggie Rogers and others show us that the general audience is ready for something edgier in their pop cereal. They’re done with almond milk and they want oat. I think this track is telling us that 2020 will be pop music’s year of the guitar. Take your bets now, I think we will see way more tracks with organic elements and especially bass and electric guitar.
For now though, I gotta catch my own breath and dive deeper into the meaning of ‘Simmer,’ it’s clear Hayley is setting the tone for 2020 and it’s best we get out of her way. Stream it now, you won’t regret it.
