Hayley Williams has released a surprise collection of 17 singles, produced entirely by longtime collaborator Daniel James.
The Paramore frontwoman wrote, played and recorded a range of instruments across the collection, with contributions from Brian Robert Jones and Joey Howard, and a guest appearance by Jim-E Stack (Lorde) on “True Believer”. The release arrives on Williams’ own new imprint, Post Atlantic, and is distributed via Secretly Distribution — her first independent release following Paramore’s split from Atlantic Records last year.
The genre-spanning collection puts Williams’ range on full display: there’s the gritty, late-’90s alt-rock of “Mirtazapine”, which she debuted live last week during a surprise set with Bleachers at the Newport Folk Festival; the eerie vocal manipulation of “Glum”, a meditation on loneliness; the Nashville-tinged “Whim”, a breezy Americana standout; and the sharp, sardonic “Ice in My OJ”, which reimagines a chorus she first sang back in 2004 with side project Mammoth City Messengers.
While the release dropped officially today, fans had already begun sharing tracks earlier this week after discovering a hidden link on Williams’ website. An access code sent to email subscribers led to a download page, with a cheeky note suggesting: “If you don’t have an email with a code, maybe ask a friend for theirs.” The link was later removed, but not before the songs made their way across social media and fan forums.
Other tracks include “Hard”, “Negative Self Talk”, “Discovery Channel”, and “Love Me Different” — the latter featuring a lyric that name checks popular TikTok tarot reader Alex Reads Tarot: “Endless scrolling, up ’til three / Alex Reads Tarot reads the shit out of me / Now I’m the one who’s gotta love me differently.”
@yourfiresignbestie
Sending love to Hayley and you all, you’re all very strong for doing the work on yourselves ❤️ proud tarot momma!
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This marks Williams’ third solo project, following the critically acclaimed Petals for Armor (2020) and Flowers for Vases / Descansos (2021). While those releases leaned heavily into themes of grief and personal transformation, the new material feels more expansive and unrestrained, with moments of deadpan humour and stylistic experimentation. If Petals was a reckoning and Flowers a reset, this feels like a release — a body of work unburdened by label pressure, genre expectation, or the need for explanation.
The drop comes just days after Paramore celebrated the 20th anniversary of their debut album All We Know Is Falling by releasing a digital deluxe edition, which includes the Summer Tic EP on streaming for the first time. The band has spent the past year touring internationally as main support for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, and earned historic Grammy wins for This Is Why, becoming the first female-fronted band to win Best Rock Album in the award’s 31-year history.
Meanwhile, Paramore bandmate Zac Farro recently released his first solo album, Operator, via his label Congrats Records.
