Mississippi native and frontwoman of Paramore Hayley Williams released her first solo project Feb. 6 The release marks Williams’ first solo project after she worked with Paramore for 15 years. This debut EP, “Petals for Armor I,” combines a mix of alternative and indie music for her first in a series of planned releases. 

Williams’ “Petals for Armor I” separates her from Paramore. Her music does sound similar to the group’s, but Williams put her own twist on the production side, making her vocals and music sound unique. 

The songs’ lyrics sound personal as well, with Williams the sole writer credited on the EP. They sound like she put a piece of herself into each song. The track “Leave It Alone” stood out since it spoke a lot about grief, a feeling Williams knows well from the loss of her husband, grandmother and past band members. 

The EP opens with “Simmer,” where Williams displays her take on bottling and controlling anger.  This is a contrast to another track that continues this story, “Cinnamon,” far more upbeat to reflect her happier state of mind. “Creepin’” describes her method of dealing with negative people, and why their energy cannot affect her. The last track, “Sudden Desire,” goes down a more alternative R&B route to explain her lust for a man that shared a connection with her.

By Williams dabbling in pop, alternative, rock and even R&B, the EP continues to excite track after track.

“Petals for Armor I” acts as a preview of  Williams’ album, “Petals for Armor,”expected to release on May 8. If this EP is any indication, her album is sure to be magnificent. Within 18 minutes, Williams discussed the complexities of anger, grief, heartbreak, comfort and negativity within eighteen minutes. She can only expand on her stories with a full album.