Even though the song gets soppy, she never does – weakness just ain’t in this lady’s repertoire, and for that we offer her a hefty high five. Its saving grace, however, comes with Williams’ vocals, which are flawless and sturdy throughout. It feels like something Katy Perry would dismiss for being too lightweight, with its mechanical, campfire strumming and general uninspiring air. ‘The Only Exception’ turns out to be a rather sappy, nondescript love song, which doesn’t quite warrant the abrupt change of pace. Paramore also try and showcase their maturity by chucking a couple of slowies into the mix. One hopes her eardrums are ready for the noise come winter. ‘Where The Lines Overlap’ goes on to give something back to the tens of thousands of fans who’ll be seeing the band on their tour this December, with Williams musing “I’ve got a feeling if I sing this loud enough/You’ll sing it back to me”.

Not nearly as arsed-off as some of the other songs on the record, it’s the kind of heart-swelling extravaganza that makes you want to grab the nearest person and pledge to travel to the ends of the earth with them. ‘Looking Up’ is the glinting jewel in the ‘brand new eyes’ crown. They might be dark in tone, but they’re still a fairground-full of fun. And if you thought that was harsh, then try this: “Next time you point a finger/I might have to bend it back/Or break it, break it off.” Thankfully, Paramore’s new-found rage hasn’t impinged on their talent for crafting a joyful pop song, as evidenced by the high octane likes of ‘Careful’ and ‘Ignorance’. “You don’t deserve a point of view”, yelps role model to thousands of adolescent girls Hayley Williams on ‘Playing God’, “the only thing you see is you”. ‘Brand…’ sorry, that should be ‘brand new eyes’, is their third album, and they’re keen to show that their spell in showbusiness so far, coupled with that awkward business of being a teenager, hasn’t been plain sailing. Despite being largely invisible to the ‘serious’ music fan in your life, Paramore are, pre-teen by pre-teen, taking over the world. Paramore have not only grown up, but grown into a cynical bunch. You can see it in the pointed use of lower case lettering in the album title on the artwork, in the cruelly dismembered and mounted butterfly on the cover and in the tormented song titles – ‘Turn It Off’, ‘Ignorance’, ‘Playing God’.

Brand new eyes paramore album download