Hayley Williams – Simmer

Aren’t you getting a little bit of Sarah Barthel vibes from this song? It is, Hayley Williams, without a doubt, but it’s a much different sound than we’ve ever heard before. The first time I heard this song, I had to do a double take. After all, I had read on my Spotify that it was Hayley Williams, but was it THE Hayley Williams?

Our Paramore front woman holds nothing back in her first debut single as a solo artist. She throws in a “fucker,” but you almost miss it because of how casual it sounds. If you listen to it a second time though, you’ll find that “fucker” is more of stab than a sliver. There’s a few moments in the song that hook me and one of them is the air gasping right after the first chorus. In today’s world, music videos don’t always accompany the singles as they come out. Even though I haven’t watched the music video for this, you can paint the visual yourself all too easily.

Growing up, Hayley was an idol to all us scene kids, but very importantly to young women. She never apologized for anything and she was also always the performer that had the most fun on stage. I’m excited to see what this upcoming album holds for Hayley’s new solo career. It has been incredible to watch her grow up in this industry and to see her sound transform into what I think is going to be her best yet.