''Petals for Armor I'' is the debut

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) by American singer-songwriter and

Paramore Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band currently consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of the group, whil ...

frontwoman

Hayley Williams Hayley Nichole Williams (born December 27, 1988) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman who is best known as the lead vocalist, primary songwriter, and keyboardist of the rock band Paramore. Born and raised in Missi ...

. It was released on

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

on February 6, 2020, as the first in a planned series of releases in the '' Petals for Armor'' era. Williams explained the inspiration behind its title is due to her belief that "the best way for me to protect myself is to be vulnerable." The EP was produced by Williams' Paramore bandmate Taylor York and was written throughout 2019 during Paramore's hiatus after touring in support of their fifth studio album, ''

After Laughter ''After Laughter'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Paramore. It was released on May 12, 2017, through Fueled by Ramen, as a follow-up to their self-titled album ''Paramore'' (2013). The album was produced by guitarist Taylor Yor ...

'' (2017). The EP was supported by two singles; " Simmer" was released on January 22, 2020, and " Leave It Alone" on January 30. Each were accompanied with music videos which share a narrative.

Background

Following extensive touring in support of

's fifth studio album ''

'' (2017),

expressed her feelings about the group's future moving forward explaining that they were not breaking up, however needed time away from writing and touring. In an interview with BBC Radio, in January 2020, Williams explained her process behind developing '' Petals for Armor''. In an

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

interview with

Zane Lowe Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter. After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...

, Williams expressed that "Petals for Armor" was "a project", with Lowe confirming the first EP, which was released on February 6, 2020.

Singles

" Simmer" was released as the album's lead single on January 22, 2020, on

. The single's music video, directed by

Warren Fu Warren Fu is an American music video director, illustrator and designer. He has directed videos for artists such as Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams, The Strokes, the Killers, Hayley Williams, Mark Ronson, and Julian Casablancas. Fu is signed to Par ...

, premiered on the same day. "Simmer" had been continually teased on social media throughout January 2020, featuring visual and audio clips of the track and its video. " Leave It Alone" was released as the album's second single, along with its music video, on January 30, 2020.

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes. Musicians *

– primary artist, lead vocals, keyboards, guitar * Taylor York – production, additional instrumentation * Joey Howard – bass guitar, keyboards, percussion * Aaron Steele – drums, percussion, programming * Benjamin Kaufman – violin, chin cello Additional personnel * Daniel James – string arrangements *

Carlos de la Garza Captain Carlos de la Garza (1807–1882), also known as "Don Carlos," was a fourth generation Tejano rancher and entrepreneur in Goliad, Victoria and Refugio counties of Texas. His participation in the Mexican Army leading to the Battle of Coleto ...

– mixing engineer *

Dave Cooley Dave Cooley (David J. Cooley; born 1970) is an American mastering engineer and audio restoration specialist. His numerous mastering credits include J Dilla's ''Donuts'' and '' The Diary'', Paramore's ''After Laughter'', 40th anniversary release ...

– mastering engineer * Kevin "K-Bo" Boettger – assistant engineer * Michael Craver – assistant engineer, assistant mixing engineer * David Fitzgibbons – assistant engineer, assistant mixing engineer * Michelle Freetly – assistant engineer * Jake Butler – assistant engineer

Charts

References