Taste New Pop Punk with Paramore

There’s been a recent deluge in Paramore merch. That’s thanks largely to the band’s involvement in the hit teen movie, Twilight. The soundtrack for the movie feature’s the group’s Decode and I Caught Myself. For certain though, with the level of passion that the band pours into its work, its members would mostly likely take offense at being labeled merely as that band that played for Twilight.

For purposes of categorization, Paramore’s music is mainly considered emo or pop punk. This isn’t a strict definition of their work though because Paramore is almost an anti thesis of conventional punk. Whining and angst are reduced to a minimum and abrasiveness is shown with a purpose. The group’s music is emotional without being irritating.

Many music fans consider Paramore to be more mature than other punk artists. This is unexpected since the group is almost rooted on a youthful image. The members are all grown ups now but they began their road to stardom when they were barely out of primary school. Before Paramore albums became the hottest things, they were just young musicians enjoying themselves in a garage. Vocalist Williams was just fourteen and drummer Zac Farro was just twelve. Rounding up the first members were lead guitarist Josh Farro, bassist Jeremy Davis and rhythm guitarist Jason Bynum. Hayley Williams was and still is the only female in the group which possibly accounts for the band’s unique dynamics.

In 2005, the band finally made their work public through their first album release, All We Know is Falling. This was a fitting release for an emo band considering that it communicated what members felt when Jeremy Davis left. The album is the closest the group has come to conventional punk but it did not lead to overwhelming success for them. Davis jumped right back into the group after only a few months but other changes took place. Hunter Lamb took over Bynum’s role but also eventually left.

At the beginning of 2007, the creation of more Paramore albums seemed obvious. It was on this year that Riot! came out and entered the Billboard 200 at 20. Although it didn’t debut with a bang, the album did reach platinum in the U.S. At around the same time the band tasted their first success, Taylor York came in as rhythm guitarist to replace Lamb.

There was more in store for the group in 2008. They took center stage on Alternative Press’ February cover after they were voted 2007’s best band by readers. To top this recognition, they were nominated for a Grammy Award. Shortly after this, they launched their first tour called The Final Riot. By the end of it, two of their songs were already in the Twilight soundtrack. In September 2009, Brand New Eyes was released. It is the group’s most successful work in the charts to date.

There is no stopping the deluge of Paramore merchandise like music clothing. This is despite the rift rumors that have haunted and continue to haunt the group. Past rumored conflict revolved around the media’s focus on Hayley Williams. By all current appearances though, the group is as solid as platinum.