HEAVY MUSIC HISTORY: Brand New Eyes – Paramore

After the release of their 2007 breakout second album Riot! – as well as the hit single Misery Business – all eyes were on PARAMORE to see how they would follow it up. Two years later, in 2009, they returned with Brand New Eyes. 2009 was still seeing rock musicians hit the mainstream, as bands such as GREEN DAY, LINKIN PARK, and KINGS OF LEON among many others were all riding the waves on hit radio stations. MySpace was still going strong, and Fireflies by OWL CITY seemed to be an inescapable song, playing on every radio, in every supermarket, and shopping centre.

Although they could have gone more upbeat for their third album, PARAMORE went in a darker direction with emotional lyrics, a diverse sound, and some of the best songs of their career. Sonically, the album goes in a heavier direction as the first two songs Careful and Ignorance have a lot more emphasises on the guitars from Josh Farro and Taylor York. However, there are also songs such as Misguided Ghosts and The Only Exception, which show a more mellower side to the band.

The Only Exception is the breakout hit of the album. A gentle acoustic song that sees the narrator express how they won’t fall in love due to watching their parents’ bad relationship growing up, only exception being the narrator’s love interest. Just like how Misery Business on Riot! tapped into the jealously that many teenage girls feel when they see their crush with someone else, The Only Exception taps into the overwhelming power of love that can make you believe that being in a relationship is worth it. However, the album isn’t perfect, as there are a few songs which are overlooked, such as Where The Lines Overlap, which is the penultimate song on the album.

Lyrically, the album is a lot more mature than Riot!, with songs such as Playing God showcasing the affects hypocritical and small-minded people have on a person’s mind, Looking Up showcases the happiness that PARAMORE felt as they reflected on the tough year they had had whilst recording Brand New Eyes, and the overlooked Brick By Boring Brick cleverly subverts fairy tale romances.

Upon its release in 2009, Brand New Eyes earned favourable reviews, with Evan Lucy from Billboard stating that “the newfound maturity makes for a compelling set of songs”, and Kerrang! and Rock Sound gave it 4/5 and 9/10 respectively. The album sold 175,000 copies in the US and reached Number Two on the Billboard 200.

However, when it comes to the legacy of Brand New Eyes, it is remembered both for The Only Exception and the band’s mature song writing. This album would be the last to feature Josh and Zac Farro, who both left in 2010, although Zac would return in 2017. Brand New Eyes did the impossible and managed to build upon what was established during Riot! instead of just mimicking it. Whilst it is common for musicians to constantly change up their sound nowadays – even when it seems forced – back in the early 2000s, not a lot of musicians managed to improve upon their sound. Of course, they all experimented, but only a rare few were able to do it successfully. PARAMORE were one of those bands.

Furthermore, the album helped save the band, as it helped them express their emotions, and – although the lineup did change after the release – Brand New Eyes paved the way for their self-titled album as well as After Laughter and This Is Why, which are some of the most beloved albums in the band’s discography.

Even fifteen years on, Brand New Eyes still sounds brand new. It charts the mentality of the band over the course of the album, and it shows their maturity and growth since their 2005 debut All We Know Is Falling and 2007’s Riot!. Whilst it is mostly upbeat, the two acoustic songs provide some rest bite from the high energy. Furthermore, it provided the hit single The Only Exception, which showed how powerful love can be.

However, there are some songs, such as Brick By Boring Brick and Where The Lines Overlap, which can be overlooked by more casual PARAMORE fans. However, the album works very well as an overall sound as it has a lot of various rock sounds, from lighter pop-rock to heavier rock. Whilst it experiments with different sub-genres of rock, it sticks to the broad genre of rock. The album is well-produced, which helps it sound coherent. It shows that it is possible for a band to mature both sonically and lyrically without alienating their audience. Brand New Eyes proved that PARAMORE were able to stay true to themselves, as well as create brilliant and raw music, which is something that they have done time and time again ever since.

Brand New Eyes was originally released on September 29th, 2009 via Fueled By Ramen.

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