Petals for Armor II

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Petals for Armor II
EP by
ReleasedApril 21, 2020
Recorded2019–20
Studio
  • East Iris Studios
  • Music Friends
Length20:16
LabelAtlantic
Producer
Hayley Williams chronology
Petals for Armor I
(2020)
Petals for Armor II
(2020)
Petals for Armor
(2020)
Singles from Petals for Armor II
  1. "Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris"
    Released: March 19, 2020
  2. "Over Yet"
    Released: April 2, 2020
  3. "My Friend"
    Released: April 9, 2020
  4. "Why We Ever"
    Released: April 16, 2020
  5. "Dead Horse"
    Released: April 21, 2020[1]

Petals for Armor II is the second extended play (EP) by American singer-songwriter and Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams. It was released on Atlantic Records on April 21, 2020,[2] as the second in a series of releases in the Petals for Armor era.[3] 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."[4]

Petals for Armor II 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 (2017). The lead single, "Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris", was released on March 19, 2020.

Background[edit]

Following extensive touring in support of Paramore's fifth studio album After Laughter (2017), Hayley Williams 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.[5][6] In an interview with BBC Radio, in January 2020, Williams explained her process behind developing Petals for Armor.[7]

"I'm so ready and so incredibly humbled to get to share this project... Making it was a scary, empowering experience. Some of my proudest moments as a lyricist happened while writing 'PETALS FOR ARMOR.' And I was able to get my hands a little dirtier than usual when it came to instrumentation. I'm in a band with my favorite musicians so I never really feel the need to step into a role as a player when it comes to Paramore records. This project, however, benefited from a little bit of musical naïveté and rawness and so I experimented quite a bit more. I made this with some of the closest people to me. Their respective talents really shine bright throughout the record. I like to think we all make each other better and the result is something that sounds and FEELS exactly as I'd hoped it would. Now that it's time to put it all out there, I can finally exhale. I'm excited to let people in to experience a different side of myself that I've only very recently become familiar with."

Singles[edit]

"Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris" was released to digital download and streaming platforms as the lead single on March 19, 2020.[8]

Track listing[edit]

Petals for Armor II track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Dead Horse" 3:19
2."My Friend"
  • Williams
  • Joey Howard
3:39
3."Over Yet"
  • Williams
  • Howard
  • Steph Marziano
3:34
4."Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris"
5:21
5."Why We Ever"
  • Williams
  • Micah Tawlks
4:23
Total length:20:16

Credits and personnel[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Future Releases on Alternative Radio Stations, Independent Artist Song Releases |".
  2. ^ Aniftos, Rania (April 21, 2020). "Hayley Williams Unveils 'Petals for Armor II' Collection, Plus New Single 'Dead Horse'". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  3. ^ "Hayley Williams - Hayley Williams and Zane Lowe "Petals for Armor I" Apple Music Interview". Archived from the original on 2020-02-29. Retrieved 2020-03-20 – via www.youtube.com.
  4. ^ "Hayley Williams explains meaning of Petals For Armor: "The way for me to protect myself best is to be vulnerable"". NME. January 22, 2020. Archived from the original on March 5, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  5. ^ "Hayley Williams addresses Paramore's future in emotional interview". Alternative Press. March 20, 2019. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  6. ^ Greenwood, Koltan (January 23, 2020). "Paramore had to "get quiet for a minute" for Hayley Williams' exploration". Alternative Press. Archived from the original on February 3, 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  7. ^ "Hayley Williams' First Solo Single Is Here: Watch the Paramore Frontwoman's Horror Flick 'Simmer' Video". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2020-03-05. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
  8. ^ "Roses / Lotus / Violet / Iris - Single by Hayley Williams". Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved Apr 13, 2020 – via music.apple.com.
  9. ^ "Hayley Williams - Roses/Lotus/Violet/Iris [Official Audio]". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2020-04-11. Retrieved 2020-04-13.