The ‘Ego’ Has Landed: A Review of Hayley Williams Surprise 17 New Songs

Written by Gabrielle Sangataldo | Photo Credit: Al Mannarino for The Pop Break

If there’s one thing the frontwoman of Paramore, Hayley Williams, is known for—besides her powerhouse vocals that have dominated the alternative rock scene since she was 16—it’s her hair color.

On July 28, Williams released a new, limited-edition dye color through her own hair dye company, Good Dye Young, which she co-owns with Brian O’Connor. The marigold yellow, named Ego, launched with only 2,000 cartons, all signed by both Williams and O’Connor.

What fans who snatched the limited run didn’t know, however, was that each box contained a code to unlock 17 new songs on Williams’ website. Posted sporadically across the page and in no order, fans rushed to listen through the unceremoniously dropped songs. Two days later, the songs disappeared, but all landed August 1 on streaming services as separate singles rather than a cohesive album. Fans dubbed the collection Ego, since the yellow accents on all of the songs’ cover arts are the same shade as the dye—and Williams’ current hair color.

The simultaneous releases serve as Williams’ first solo project since 2021 with FLOWERS for VASES / descansos. While FLOWERS features Williams alone (both as a vocalist and an instrumental performer) in a more folk setting, her 2020 debut Petals for Armor experimented with art pop, mixing R&B and synth-pop sounds. Though both albums deviate harshly from the typical genre associated with Paramore, the solo releases present themselves as natural continuations of Williams’ musical aura and talents.

Ego undoubtedly lands the hardest of the three. While Petals for Armor oozed emotion like her wounds were still open, and emulated the raw and soft touch that she needed, this latest score of music boasted wounds that have scarred over and are rougher to the touch—still present, but no longer painfully aching. Williams has reclaimed her vulnerability and hardened it into something that’s her own, laced with gritty vocal overlays, punching guitars, and cuttingly honest lyrics.

Despite Ego not following any specific order, there are a few songs in particular that stand out as exceptional. “Mirtazapine,” a love song to Williams’ antidepressant, kicks off with driving guitars that carry the track, sounding like a modern-day addition to Paramore’s 2005 debut All We Know Is Falling. “Love Me Different” references, “Endless hours of therapy / Two prescriptions, no good routines,” in a complete vibe 180. Bouncy synths jump in the background of the song, completing the conclusion that Williams herself is the one “who’s gotta love me differently.” 

“Ice In My OJ” plays as a dark and grungy R&B addition to Ego that amps up during the chorus as Williams screams “I’m in a band,” repeatedly, almost like a reminder to the listener that this solo act isn’t permanent. Juxtaposing this, the song even samples 2004’s “Jumping Inside” by Mammoth City Messengers, Williams’ first recorded appearance at the age of 13. The two complement each other in a way that serves as a past and present commentary on Williams’ lengthy career. 

Williams also attempts to reclaim her softness and femininity for herself in the oxymoronic “Hard,” where she laments, “I got married once in combat boots and / Only listened to testosterone music / I had to kill my feminine just to do it / To get to you, I had to go through it.” “Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party” ironically couples well with this established, bass-heavy vibe, where Williams sardonically croons, “I’m the biggest star / at this racist country singer’s bar.”

Williams, always a persistent activist, clearly doesn’t shy away from more explicit political references in Ego, either. “True Believer” employs intoxicatingly simple verses, causing the lyrics, “They say that Jesus is the way / but then they gave him a white face / So they don’t have to pray / to someone they deem lesser than them,” to hit even more powerfully.

Though each song tells its own lyrical and sonic story, common elements—heavy and rhythmic bass, disjointed and layered vocals, references to past hurt—link them all together and compile as an album even when Williams kept them separate. Much of the instrumental production on Ego calls back to that of Petals for Armor, creating a full circle moment between the two. Petals for Armor is the bleeding wound, FLOWERS the bandage, and Ego the healing salve.

Paramore may be Williams’ claim to fame, but each new and diverse solo project proves one thing for certain: she’s always been fully in it for the music.