Hayley Williams is following up one of our favorite albums of 2020, her debut solo record Petals for Armor, with a new three-song EP called Petals for Armor: Self-Serenades. Today the Paramore singer is previewing the effort with an acoustic rendition of one of the year’s best songs, “Simmer”.
The original take on the track features all sorts of cool percussion and layered vocal harmonies, but this stripped-back version is pretty much the complete opposite. The extremely stark performance contains just light guitar plucks and Williams’ whispery croon, which builds nicely toward the end but never raises to a genuine belt.
In fact, it’s so quiet that Williams’ dog Alf even made an accidental guest appearance on the recording. “If you listen closely you can hear Alf sigh dramatically in the opening line,” she wrote on Twitter. “Like mother like son.”
Take a listen to the gorgeous reimagining below.
The other two songs on Self-Serenades are an acoustic version of the Petals track “Why We Ever” and a brand new tune called “Find Me Here”. The full EP is due out December 18th via Atlantic Records, and pre-orders for the limited edition 10-inch vinyl are ongoing. Check out the artwork and track order after the jump.
Yesterday, Williams performed an NPR Tiny Desk (Home) concert with Julien Baker and former Artist of the Month Becca Mancari as her backing band.
Petals for Armor: Self-Serenades Artwork:
Petals for Armor: Self-Serenades Tracklist:
01. Simmer (Acoustic)
02. Why We Ever (Acoustic)
03. Find Me Here