Album of the Day

Hayley Williams was still in her teens when she formed Paramore with school friends from Tennessee, and the pop-punk group quickly became one of the most popular in the country. PETALS FOR ARMOR was the singer-songwriter’s solo debut album and, though it features a couple of her bandmates (including guitarist Taylor York, who produced the set), it stands strongly on its own. Written in the aftermath of a divorce, songs like “”Leave It Alone,” “Simmer” and “Dead Horse” are both vulnerable and resilient. “Some of my proudest moments as a lyricist happened while writing PETALS FOR ARMOR,” said Williams, and the 2020 collection was acclaimed by outlets including Entertainment Weekly, Billboard and Rolling Stone as one of the year’s best.