By Sage Spirk, Contributor

[Post Atlantic; 2025]

Rating: 9/10

Key Tracks: “Ice In My OJ,” “Mirtazapine,” “True Believer”

On August 28, vocal powerhouse and cultural staple Hayley Williams released her long-coveted third studio album, Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party – but there was more to this album release than you might expect. While major streaming platforms saw what were originally 17 singles released independently on August 1, die-hard fans were already well-acquainted with each song due to the tracks originally appearing on William’s website on July 28 in what was a unique and strategic rollout. This form of publication was a breath of fresh air in an era that puts emphasis on streaming songs and pre-saving albums for the sake of surface level engagement. Instead, Williams had fans soaking up each track before wiping them from her site and eventually self-publishing the singles along with a surprise track as an official album via Post Atlantic Records, a new label Williams established that cleverly references her departure with Atlantic Records in 2023.

Read More: Single Review: Gurriers – “Erasure”

“Ice In My OJ” opens the record and is an undeniable favorite of mine. Williams nods to the longevity of her own career by sampling herself. The first verse echoes the lyrics from “Jumping Inside” from Mammoth City Message, a group Williams was a part of back in 2003. The chorus is fun, booming and asserts a sentiment Williams has been spewing since the beginning of her career. She screams, “I’m in a band! I’m in a band!” Referencing her position as the frontwoman of rock band Paramore. 

“Mirtazapine” is an equally boisterous track and particularly interesting in its release. Not only was it the first song released for Ego Death, but it held its debut on Nashville radio station WNXP, an action that helped remind people of a dying art: public radio. The song is a quirky and explosive love-letter to the antidepressant Mirtazapine: “Here come my genie in a screwcap bottle / To grant me temporary solace / I could never be without her / I had to write a song about her.” 

It would be amiss to not acknowledge track 13, “True Believer,” and what I believe is the most impactful song off Ego Death. Not a single moment of space is wasted on this song, with every word striking a chord in your heart. Williams, who grew up in a suburb of Nashville, uses “True Believer” to grapple with the violence and bigotry that is inextricably tied with the South’s history and how that hatred is affirmed with religion. She tactfully references “Strange Fruit,” a song originally performed by Billie Holiday in 1939 which protested the lynching of African Americans. Williams sings, “The South will not rise again/ ‘Til it’s paid for every sin/ Strange fruit, hard bargain/ Till the roots/ Southern Gotham.” It’s a vital and brilliantly executed critique to a place Williams calls home. 

If nothing else, explore the lyricism of “True Believer” and get lost in how Williams channels anger into storytelling: “They put up chain-link fences underneath the biggest bridges/ They pose in Christmas cards with guns as big as all their children/ They say that Jesus is the way, but then they gave him a white face/ So they don’t have to pray to someone they deem lesser than them.”

I could spend hours doting on every song off of Ego Death, but it’s important to highlight the title track. “Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party” is yet another critique of the South’s almost inherently racist culture, something Williams surmises by singing, “I’ll be the biggest star at this racist country singer’s bar.” William’s refusal to coddle this violent culture that runs rampant is a commendable pledge. 

Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party goes out with a bang! “Parachute” is the 18th track on the record and the last to join the party, as it was not originally published with the other singles. However, it stands strong and tells a mighty story of heartbreak. This idea of a “parachute” Williams uses perfectly sums up the trials and tribulations of falling in love and retrospectively looking back with frustration: “I thought you were gonna catch me/ I never stopped falling for you/ Now I know better, never let me/ Leave home without a parachute.”

Hayley Williams is a generational talent and class act in songwriting. Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party is a dynamic, relatable, and critical piece of work born out of authenticity; each lyric Williams writes is true to herself as a person and artist, with Williams now reshaping her experience within the music industry with her new label. Experience Williams’ genius and give Ego Death a listen!