02/09/2025

LYFE TUESDAY | SEP 2, 2025

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Paramore’s Hayley Williams unveils fresh album

H AYLEY WILLIAMS has released her new album Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party , inspired by some of her fans’ playlists and includes one never-before-heard song Parachute . Earlier this month, the frontperson of rock band Paramore dropped a surprise collection of 17 unsequenced singles. Fans took to social media, working up their own tracklistings and even creating a website, where thousands of fans were able to work up and share their preferred order just as Williams had hoped. Fans can also pre-order the physical album, out on Nov 7. Black and “Zissou Clear-Wave” vinyl are available on Williams’s webstore and fans can find six additional vinyl colours (Highlighter Yellow, Marble Yellow, Orange Juice Splash, Crystal Clear, Grayscale Metallic Silver and Poolwater Wave) available at various retailers. An extremely limited quantity of CD-Rs are available now for immediate shipping on her website, featuring her handwriting and evoking a mixtape from the early 2000s. Only 1,500 are available on a first-come-first-serve basis. Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party was produced entirely by Daniel James. Williams wrote, played and recorded a variety of instruments across each of the 18 songs, with cross-project contributions from long-time collaborators Brian Robert Jones and Joey Howard, and contributions from Jim-E Stack on True Believer , which just earned Williams her first solo Billboard Alternative Sales number one. After over 20 years spent fulfilling its contract for Atlantic Records – a contract Williams signed as a mere teenager – Paramore announced in December of 2023 that they were finally an independent band. This surprise collection is self-released by Williams on her new venture Post Atlantic, distributed via Secretly Distribution. In the previous two weeks, Williams has o Singer plays variety of instruments across 18 songs

Williams is celebrated for her confessional lyrics. – PIC BY ZACHARY GRAY

SINGAPOREAN indie pop singer-songwriter and producer Shye returns with her newest single Shed – a song about carrying the quiet weight of the past which we cannot change. Known for her ability to blend vulnerability with atmospheric soundscapes, Shye delivers a track that is sonically immersive and emotionally resonant. Shed is a meditation on acceptance, forgiveness and finding connection through shared pain. “It is a conversation between me and the listener, where we see our own wounds reflected in each other, even if we have never met,” Shye explained. The track explores the idea that some scars never fully fade and instead of fighting to erase them, real healing, Shye suggests, comes from learning to live with it, with compassion for others and for ourselves. “I wanted the mix to feel immersive, almost like stepping into a fog where every sound hangs in the air just a little longer than it should... I hope listeners can find comfort in its honesty, feel seen and feel less alone in their own unspoken experiences.” Inspired by songs that feel “post-apocalyptic”, Shed immerses listeners into a shimmering sonic world where beauty and melancholy co-exist. Shye blends airy dream-pop textures with shoegaze-inspired walls of sound – layering lush guitars and reverb-soaked synths – while a steady drum rhythm keeps the track grounded, preventing it from floating too far into the ether. Her vocal delivery is intentionally raw – close, intimate and almost like a whispered confession echoing through ruins – as if she is speaking directly to the listener’s inner world. With Shed , Shye set out to create a safe space for anyone carrying unshakable memories or regrets. More than anything, the song is a reminder that healing does not always mean forgetting – but learning to live with the parts of ourselves we cannot change. As her momentum continues to build across Southeast Asia, Shed marks a bold new chapter for Shye – emotionally rich, sonically expansive and unmistakably her. Singaporean songtress Shye releases Shed Shye is an independent singer-songwriter and producer known for her dreamy blend of indie pop and alt-rock.

IT has been 10 years of smiles, sparkle and heart-thumping fun with Japanese idol group Cho Tokimeki Sendenbu. To celebrate, the group is back with arguably its cutest release yet – the double single Heart na munenouchi and Chosaikyo . This single is jam-packed with enthusiasm, featuring not only the sweet Heart na munenouchi , written and composed by Ryujin Kiyoshi, but also the high-energy fan anthem Chosaikyo , which has already blown up on TikTok with over 1.5 billion plays and a fun, easy-to-learn dance. And the sparkle does not stop there. The coupling track Cinderellanolalala channels every girl’s dream princess vibes with catchy melodies and sweet lyrics – all the charm you would expect from Cho Tokimeki Sendenbu. loneliness. Other standouts include Whim , an easy Americana earworm with a songwriting backbone that nods to her Nashville roots, and Ice in My OJ , a thoroughly modern track that pairs sharp production with some of Williams’s most biting and humorous lyrics to date. Long-time Paramore fans may quickly recognise the Ice in My OJ chorus, as it was first sung by Williams in 2004 on Jumping Inside by the Mammoth City Messengers. All of her talents converge most impactfully on the album’s only previously unreleased track Parachute . It is a reminder of Williams ability to strike right at the heart, with not only her confessional lyrics, but her unmatched delivery. The album captures all the dynamism Williams has shown throughout her career and collaborations. At its core, these songs are the work of a supremely gifted artiste with a voracious, genre-defying appetite for music and creative exploration. These songs come as the third batch of work released from Williams as a solo artiste. The Covid-era saw her release two albums – 2020’s Petals For Armor and 2021’s Flowers for Vases . Both albums were gorgeous and stark meditations on loss, and offered up a contrast to the high-energy and up-tempo muscle she displays in Paramore. Cho Tokimeki Sendenbu drops double single

Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party album artwork.

released music videos for the album’s title track, directed by Zachary Gray, and the single Glum , directed by her Paramore bandmate Zac Farro and AJ Gibboney. This album puts Williams’s full range on display. Mirtazapine is a late-90s alt-rock love letter to antidepressants, while on Glum , she subverts her own voice – using vocal presets to striking effect as the track meditates on

The six-member idol group captivates fans worldwide with its vibrant theme of ‘Sparkling Love and Youth’.