When emo legends Paramore made their comeback with new single This Is Why in October, something about its blend of danceable guitar work and lyrical anxiety felt more than a little familiar. Speaking on her BBC podcast Everything Is Emo, frontwoman Hayley Williams revealed an unlikely source of inspiration for her band’s new direction and, indeed, their career as a whole.
“From day one, Bloc Party was the number one reference because there was such an urgency to their sound that was different to the fast punk or the pop-punk or the loud ‘wall of sound’ emo bands that were happening in the early 2000s,” she said. “They had their own thing and it really stuck with us … it just makes me feel even more excited to get back out into the world, and maybe cross paths with the band that has been a huge part of our story.”
