Release Date: 28 August 2025
Song Count: 18
Rating: 5.2/10
Description:
Another recommendation from a friend of mine, this alternative pop album is a recent release of singer and Paramore vocalist Hayley Williams following a thematic narrative of ego death in a span of 18 songs, the last one having been a later addition after the initial distribution of the album. Whilst I have been a fan of Paramore's more well-known output for a minute now, I didn't quite know what to expect from Williams' solo output, given artists can indulge themselves in completely different genres and styles when disconnected from a larger band or group they are a part of.
Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party contains lower energy, melancholy-sounding pop songs, all with a similar vocal style and type of instrumentals, with few songs sticking out amongst the crowd. Whilst some songs introduce differing musical elements - such as a more rock-adjacent sound in "Mirtazapine" - the overall energy of every songs remains pretty much the same throughout almost the entire album. The vocals don't tread any particularly new territory, and the melodies, while pleasant enough, largely fail to capture interest for an extended period of time, leaving with a feeling as if the songs were musically almost taking a back seat.
While the lyrical side of the songs focus on deep and intricate topics connecting to ego death and a loss of self-identity, such as interpersonal struggles, familial pressure and hindsight to the past in an interesting and poetic manner, a lot of the described emotions and situations are left largely unemphasized by the music and end up getting lost for a casual listen - though there are exceptions to this pattern, such as in the song "Kill Me", which does engage in a notable attempt to highlight the sense of frustration and despair that result from being expected to break familiar cycles just for being in a certain "position" within one's family through the chorus.
One song in particular that strikes out from the bunch, however, is the most recent addition to the album and the closing track, that being "Parachute", which differentiates itself from everything preceding it by its increased amount of musical energy, tempo and variation, leading to a more enjoyable track that closes off an otherwise lesser collection of songs.
While EDATBP overall is more than listenable with some small, peculiar highlights, it nevertheless left a lot to be desired for me, save for the ending track.