NewsColony

NewsColony Hayley Williams on making music apart from Paramore © LIndsey Byrnes By now we all know that time spent with oneself does not always mean excavating life-shattering revelations. But like a bucket of cold water to the face, Hayley Williams ’ self-analysis on her new solo album, “Petals for Armor,” embraces the active work of personal change. Standing alone in the spotlight, as opposed to with her beloved pop-punk band, Paramore , Williams delves into the recent end of her marriage to New Found Glory’s Chad Gilbert, cycles of trauma in her family, PTSD, and the rebirth that can come from exploring oneself. “I will not return to where I once was,” Williams vows on the immersive “Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris,” over a dredged seabed of murky bass, skittering percussion and diving violins. After her band’s  2017 hit album, “After Laughter,” and the ensuing tour, Williams headed home to Nashville and started intensive therapy. She began unpicking the seams of her pain and writi...