HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: All We Know Is Falling – Paramore
It seems almost impossible with their stature now to imagine PARAMORE as newcomers to the scene. But in 2005, the release of their debut album All We Know Is Falling saw the group working through more than growing pains to find their feet.
Two years prior, vocalist Hayley Williams had signed with Atlantic as a solo singer, but knew she wanted to form a band. PARAMORE was formed with Williams, Jason Bynum, Josh Farro, Zac Farro and Jeremy Davis. As a group, the first track they wrote together was Conspiracy, which eventually ended up on their debut.
As the band headed to Florida to record the album, bassist Jeremy Davis departed the band, spurring the group to re-direct the album’s themes. Exploring the impact of Davis’ departure, the album takes the moment as a central theme. Williams reflected “About two days after he left, we wrote the song All We Know. We decided we were going to base the album off of that, which is also what the cover means. The couch with no one there and the shadow walking away.” During the recording process, Lucio Rubino (STORYSIDE: B) filled in for bass, and Davis rejoined the band five months later.
All We Know Is Falling was released on July 26th 2005 through Fueled By Ramen to mixed reviews. The album received critical acclaim, but was not necessarily a commercial success, particularly in the US. It did however reach number four on the UK Rock Chart. Singles Pressure, Emergency and All We Know led the album, with Pressure being used on the Sims 2 soundtrack and later being certified gold alongside the album by the RIAA.
Following the album’s release, the band embarked on a tour of the US, supporting SIMPLE PLAN. In 2006, they played the Warped Tour Nashville date, before embarking on their own headline tour with HIT THE LIGHTS, CUTE IS WHAT WE AIM FOR and THE PROVIDENCE. Amidst the touring, PARAMORE faced another lineup change. In December 2005, Hunter Lamb replaced Jason Bynum on rhythm guitar, and would ultimately also leave the group in 2007.
Gaining traction in the alternative scene, PARAMORE were often not taken seriously. Gigwise wrote “Paramore are not terrible; they are simply a transitional band. The band you listen to between the pre teen pop and the late teen music that ultimately satisfies you the most.” Alongside these comparisons to pop stars, came a fascination with Hayley Williams as the frontwoman. The media fetishisation of a female front woman led to frustrations at the portrayal of her as the sole face of the band.
This would be a representation that PARAMORE would battle with throughout their career and various lineups. Yet, even at their debut album, they exhibited far more substance and grit than they were given credit for. All We Know Is Falling encapsulated the authenticity, energy, and tenacity that has always been at the beating heart of PARAMORE’s music. From the roaring statement of lead single Pressure to the intimate elegy of Brighter, emotion and power soar out of any box that they were put in.
20 years later, putting PARAMORE in a box seems ridiculous. The band have grown through various iterations, ever-evolving and shifting their sound to reflect who they authentically are at that point in time. It is this approach that has found them becoming one of the biggest alternative bands out there. All We Know Is Falling is no exception to this. It offers the very early workings of a band fuelled by passion for what they are making, and a palpable commitment to making it their own.
All We Know Is Falling was originally released on July 26th, 2005 via Fueled By Ramen.
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