Brand New Eyes was the third album by Paramore, released on September 29, 2009.
At the time, it was praised highly, winning Best Album at the Kerrang Awards 2010 and reached number one in the UK album chart.
In 2016, Brand New Eyes was certified platinum in the UK.
There is a clear difference between Paramore’s first three albums and their most recent – their sound has moved slightly from emo to pop.
That’s not a criticism though – they have undeniably done a brilliant job of staying relevant, while other, similar bands have fallen into obscurity. But ten years and several style changes later, how does Brand New Eyes hold up?
This album is a pop-punk classic. Listening to it again for the first time in ten years will remind you of all the reasons why pop-punk was popular in the first place.
Filled to the brim with angst, emotion and a fuck-you attitude, this might just be Paramore’s best album of all time.
The Only Exception received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
In hindsight, the nomination was well-deserved. It’s a beautiful ballad that doesn’t sound corny or cringey ten years later.
You might have related to it in 2009 because your crush didn’t poke you back on Facebook, but the themes of love and heartbreak still ring true in 2019.
For an upbeat pop-punk anthem, take a look at Where the Lines Overlap, which was woefully underappreciated when the album was released.
Looking back at it, however, it’s a fresh and optimistic song about being happy with your life as it is, a song that wouldn’t be out of place if it had been released today.
Another standout is Misguided Ghosts, an indie-leaning acoustic song that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Daughter album.
The one song that doesn’t quite hit the mark in 2019 is Looking Up. While it’s objectively still a good song, it sounds dated.
There are definitely some cringey points in it – like the ‘breaking the fourth wall’ lyric of “God knows the world didn’t need another band/But what a waste it would have been.” It sounds just a little too 2000s-pop-punk to stand the test of time.
Overall, however, if you’re a fan of modern Paramore that hasn’t delved into their discography, or if you just want to relive your emo days, Brand New Eyes is absolutely worth the look back.
Who knows, you might find it’s gotten better with age.
Featured Image Credit: Fueled by Ramen
Music Editor of Brig Newspaper
Great album 🙂