It isn’t that long since Paramore’s distinctive blend of incredibly catchy emo rock earned them legions of teenage fans (and more than a few older ones too), but still their new self-titled album has the air of a comeback record about it. ‘Paramore’ sees the band attempt to recapture their signature sound while also pushing themselves in new musical directions, neither of which they entirely manage to do well.

While there are definite moments of unabashed enjoyment to be had, they are hard to pinpoint in an album that is overlong, bloated, messy and over-produced. ‘Paramore’ fails to either capture the band’s heyday or reinvent them as something new. While song titles like I’m Not Angry Anymore and Grow Up are no doubt intended to be tongue-in-cheek, they are also emblematic of what is wrong with this album. Paramore seem to have grown up without growing into anything of significance. Their emo rage has been replaced by a vague angst that just doesn’t have the same emotional edge.

The album is packed with tracks like Fast In My Car, Still Into You and Now; standard up tempo rockers which fail to be either catchy or memorable. They are over saturated with Hayley Williams’ increasingly whiny vocals, to the point where scarcely a second goes by without Williams cramming in totally superfluous backing vocals to the detriment of the material.

But the real problem with ‘Paramore’ is that it fires off in a number of musical directions, without ever really finding an appropriate niche that works. Daydreaming sees the band embracing clean-cut pop like never before, with vocals barely distinguishable from the kind of misty-eyed murmuring you might expect from Taylor Swift. There are also a series of acoustic interludes which see Williams break free from the band, accompanied only by, of all things, a ukulele.  Meanwhile, One of Those Crazy Girls sees the band succumb to something they had always managed to resist, sounding like Kelly Clarkson or Avril Lavigne.  Here they do exactly that, foresaking their roots by embracing a simple homogenised pop sound.

The best moments on the album are those few tracks reminiscent of the band’s better days. Part II bills itself as a sequel to the song Let The Flames Begin, a highpoint on the album ‘Riot!’ and key part of the band’s live shows. Part II’s tightly structured yet apparently chaotic rhythm drives along at pace, while the vocals are coupled with the music rather than trying to eclipse it. This song allows each individual element its own space to develop, with a mournful guitar solo leading the fist-first way into an all-out instrument bashing breakdown. It’s an effect which shows that there is a certain level of music maturity present after all. Unfortunately this is it the only direction, among many, that truly works.

After a slog through several mediocre tracks, Anklebiters finally delivers the real highlight of the album. The shouty anthemic chorus and ultra-quick yet melodic verses don’t disappoint. It is one of the few suggestions that Paramore are still capable of channeling their anger into something of worth, with a triumphant chorus that’ll repeat in your head over and over.  But that almost makes it more of a disappointment that they didn’t manage to do better on the rest of the album.