Hayley Williams released her debut solo album, Petals for Armor, in May of this year. Today, she released Petals for Armor: Self-Serenades, an acoustic EP version of the album. The EP features acoustic versions of “Simmer” and “Why We Ever” that were featured on the debut album as well as an unreleased track titled “Find Me Here.”

“I spent this year at home like everyone. I hadn’t spent that much time at home alone with my guitar since I was a teen, before Paramore hit the road. Once I realized I’d likely not be performing any of my new songs live for a while I guess it just felt right to play them for myself and re-imagine them, just a little bit lonelier. It wasn’t long before I started writing new songs again and one of the demos I made seemed fitting for this little EP,” said Williams in a press release on how the new EP came about.

Williams continued to tease the solo project earlier this year by linking her posts to an Instagram account with the name “Petals For Armor.” Since the May release, the Paramore front woman has released many music videos to accompany the singles from her album. Williams released videos for “Watch Me While I Bloom,” “Sugar on the Rim,” “Cinnamon” and more.

Williams formed the band Paramore with members Taylor York, guitarist and Zac Farro, drummer, in 2004. Since the beginning of the band, they have released numerous hits and five studio albums together. However, the band has not released any new music since their last album, After Laughter, which dropped in 2017.

One of the more popular songs that Paramore is known for, “Misery Business,” has caused issues over the years due to choice of lyrics. Because of this, Williams has chosen to distance herself from the song for a while. The line “Once a whore, you’re nothing more/ I’m sorry that’ll never change” has made listeners question whether the band is anti-Feminist. Williams commented on the matter explaining that it was never intended to promote “anything have to do with female empowerment or solidarity.”

Petals for Armor made mxdwn’s Top 50 Best Albums of 2020.

Petals for Armor: Self-Serenades Track List:
1. Simmer – Acoustic
2. Why We Ever – Acoustic
3. Find Me Here

Photo Credit: Mehreen Rizvi