Paramore‘s Hayley Williams escapes into an Alice in Wonderland-like dream world through a guitar case after being stalked by enormous musical instruments in the group’s trippy new video for “Running Out of Time.” Directed by Ivanna Borin, the clip showcases Williams decked out a Vivienne Westwood bustier from 1990 and a yellow dress from the late punk fashion designer’s 2016 spring/summer collection.
“When we first started writing the album, I wanted to challenge myself to write about ordinary things,” Williams says of “Running Out of Time,” which can be found on Paramore’s just-released This Is Why. “I am horrific at time management and that feels about like the most mundane thing anyone could talk about … seemed like a fun challenge. It kept me from getting all deep and dark, which is actually an easier place, internally, for me to dwell. Then again, expanding on those feelings isn’t all that different from the anxieties a lot of us feel about living on planet earth in 2023.”
Indeed, the song finds Williams giving the same excuse (“I ran out of time”) for any number of personal and professional responsibilities, from forgetting to bring flowers to a neighbor, being too lazy to walk her dog farther than the driveway, or sending a condolence card. “Intentions only get you so far / What if I’m just a selfish prick? / No regard,” she sings.
“It’s an album of surprises, development and maturity from an act that wears its wrinkles well — no group from the Vans Warped Tour cohort has aged nearly as gracefully,” SPIN wrote in its review of This Is Why. “Though with This Is Why, Paramore continues to erase any remnants of ‘scene’ labels, continuing their ascension as one of the most dominant pop-rock acts on this defective planet.”
Paramore just began an extensive world tour in support of This Is Why at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House. The group will also open for Taylor Swift on the first two dates of the latter’s Eras tour on March 17-18 in Glendale, Ariz.
