Less than one year after she released her solo debut, Petals for Armour, Hayley Williams is back with another new album. Like its introspective predecessor, FLOWERS for VASES / descansos is an intimate reflection on heartbreak and its destructive aftermath. On “My Limb”, Williams sheds the phantom limbs of a past relationship as she sings, “If you gotta amputate, don’t give me the tourniquet/You wish that I would run away, sever what isn't working”, while “Good Grief” seeks the intimacy of a former lover through immaterial sex dreams. Her lyrics are confessional, often delivered in hushed tones and layered, acoustic melodies. Stripped of any frills or flourishes, they simmer with slow catharsis as Williams unravels herself from the shadow of past memories.
For fans of jazzy, lo-fi beats, south Londoner Puma Blue has released his woozy debut, In Praise of Shadows, a downtempo follow-up to last year’s Silk Print. Elsewhere, Rich The Kid has dropped a surprise EP, while John Carpenter’s Lost Themes III is a ghostly jam.
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