INTERVIEW: Paramore Talks 'Hard Times' & Reveals 'After Laughter' Meaning

Paramore is back with their first new material in four years. The band released their brand new single "Hard Times" on April 18, the lead single from their upcoming fifth studio album AFTER LAUGHTER (to be released in May), and fans will definitely notice a difference in the sound from Paramore's previous songs. On "Hard Times," Paramore takes a step back from their punk/pop/alternative style, and step into more of an '80s vibe, reflected in their very colorful accompanying music video. 

[Buy After Laughter on iTunes]

One could take "Hard Times" to mean many things, especially with all that is going in the world today. But there's not doubt that Paramore has been through some hard times as a band over the past few years. In fact, the group's own Hayley Williams tells iHeartRadio of what they've been up to since they released their last album in 2013: 

"We pretty much haven't done a whole lot, other than make an album called After Laughter, and we went through a bunch of hard times, which is why we have a song called 'Hard Times.'"

After Laughter is Paramore's first since founding member/bassist Jeremy Davis' departure in 2015. The band said in a statement of his leaving at the time, "To be honest, this has been really painful" also adding "We’re really thankful for the people who have helped see us through hard times before and what we’ve discovered is that those people are just as much a part of this as we will ever be."

"Hard Times" is different from Paramore's previously released music, and Hayley tells us, "This is a really big step for us as a band, and it's definitely a new sound. We're really proud of it. I feel like it really reflects exactly who we are right now in real time, and hopefully people will be into it."

So why After Laughter? Hayley explains the meaning behind Paramore's new album title: 

"After Laughter is about the look on people's faces when they're done laughing. If you watch somebody long enough, there's always this look that comes across their face when they're done smiling, and I always find it really fascinating to wonder what it is that brought them back to reality. So, that's what After Laughter is."