Hayley on how After Laughter turned into a record with social resonance

“We’ve never been a political band… We’re not Pussy Riot, and I know that,” she says during a recent interview with Fast Company. “I don’t even think we’re Green Day. We really enjoy talking about deep-heart matters and things people struggle with silently or alone.”

Hayley openly admits that neither she or Paramore as a band wanted to make a political album but it turned out that After Laughter shows how personal and political anxieties were inextricable in 2017. “I think that this is the year that I’ve had to stop kidding myself that I’m exempt from being riled up about politics,” she says.

But reflecting on the year, she acknowledges that the difference between personal and political is increasingly blurred. And that’s part of why After Laughter hits so close on lines like, “All that I want is a hole in the ground/You can tell me when it’s alright for me to come out.” Though she may not be overtly referencing political leaders, that sentiment of wanting to hide until it’s all over rings especially true if you’re enduring personal heartbreak at a time of political upheaval.

“I feel like you can write a song that has been affected by what we’re going through as a nation and as people all under the same thumb,” Williams says. “You can write about that without it being, like, me talking about the president.”

Go HERE to access Fast Company‘s webpage where full article is available. Definitely worth your time.