Wikipedia

Flowers for Vases / Descansos

Flowers for Vases / Descansos (stylized as FLOWERS for VASES / descansos) is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter and Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams. It was released through Atlantic Records on February 5, 2021. Departing from the rock and pop sounds more in line with the singer's past work, Flowers for Vases is an intimate and more stripped-down folk album. Williams is the sole writer and performer on the album.

Flowers for Vases / Descansos
Studio album by
Hayley Williams
ReleasedFebruary 5, 2021
StudioWilliams' home (Nashville, TN)
Genre
Length42:30
LabelAtlantic
ProducerDaniel James
Hayley Williams chronology
Petals for Armor: Self-Serenades
(2020) 		Flowers for Vases / Descansos
(2021)

Background

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The genesis of this album occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, which began shortly before the release of Williams's first solo record Petals for Armor and led to the cancellation of its corresponding tour.[4]

Being her second studio album, Williams said of Flowers for Vases / Descansos: “This isn’t really a follow-up to [Petals For Armor]. If anything, it’s a prequel or some sort of detour between [Petals for Armor I] and [Petals for Armor II]."[5] Though this album is Williams's first without any collaboration from her Paramore bandmates, she states that they were supportive of her in the making of this project.[6]

Writing and composition

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Flowers for Vases / Descansos is Williams's most personal work, touching on themes such as heartbreak, grief, and her struggles with depression. The track "Inordinary," specifically, tackles some of Williams's early life events such as her and her mother fleeing from an abusive stepfather to Nashville in 2002,[7] before going on to touch on deeper themes of belonging. Because of these subject matters, Williams has said that the album is hard for her to listen to, with her also saying of the album:

"It is so raw and so of the moment, but it also is such a culmination of all the lessons I've learned throughout multiple relationships that just [...] felt like my own body was eating itself."[8]

Similarly to Petals for Armor, many of the songs draw inspiration from Williams's relationship and separation from musician Chad Gilbert.[9] The artist's reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic was also a major influence on the project.[8] Williams has herself compared this work to Taylor Swift's 2020 album Folklore.[10]

Title and artwork

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The title of the album was initially to be solely Descansos, however Williams was inspired by an entry on her grocery list that read "flowers for vases."[11] According to the singer, this phrase had a weight to it, as it represented her breathing vitality back into her life by way of replacing the withered flowers in her home.[12]

The second half of the album's name, "descansos," translating to "rest" in Spanish, is a word used to describe a roadside memorial, normally placed at the site of an unexpected and sudden death. Williams states that the use of the word in the album title was inspired by the book Women Who Run with the Wolves by author Clarissa Pinkola Estés. According to Williams:

“The author talks about how we make our own descansos when we have little deaths throughout our life, [and how] we have to leave something behind but we keep living. We honor where we were, and then we move on.”[12]

The album cover depicts Williams in a pool of water with strong red lighting. The songwriter, who often uses water metaphors to describe relationships in her music,[13] has stated that the inspiration for this artwork stems from her often having dreams about water, including more violent dreams involving drowning.[14] The image was taken in a jacuzzi that Williams cites as her "most ridiculous quarantine purchase," and it was photographed by creative director Lindsey Byrnes, with Williams also crediting Paramore lead guitarist Taylor York with "[jacuzzi] lighting assistance."[15]

Recording and production

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Due to the COVID-19 lockdowns, the album was recorded entirely in Williams's home in Nashville, Tennessee,[5] and as such, she plays all instruments heard on the album, including vocals, guitar, bass guitar, piano, and drums.[16]

Outside of the instruments played by Williams, ambient audio recordings can also be heard on the songs "Good Grief" and the album's title track "Descansos." According to Williams, these recordings originate from VHS tapes of her first Halloween.[17]

Daniel James, most known for his project Canon Blue, engineered and produced the album. He and Williams have collaborated in the past, with him having written string arrangements for Paramore's 2017 record After Laughter.[18] Carlos de la Garza, who has similarly worked with Williams before, also served as an engineer.[5]

Release

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While the album did not have any singles, an earlier version of the track "Find Me Here" was included as one of the three songs on Williams's acoustic extended play (EP) Petals for Armor: Self-Serenades, which was released in December 2020.[19]

The track entitled "My Limb" was also partially released. On the night of January 28, 2021, coinciding with that year's Wolf Moon, Williams hand-delivered a CD containing the song to a fan, giving them permission to leak its contents.[20] More teasers also appeared around this time, with Williams's website displaying cryptic imagery and demo snippets, along with her mailing doll limbs to fans with a note reading "plant me."[21]

Williams only formally announced Flowers for Vases / Descansos the day prior to its release, on February 5, 2021, making it a surprise album. She did so via an Instagram story, where she also clarified that though the development of this album was completely independent from them, "yes, Paramore is still a band."[5] The album also received a vinyl release seven months later on September 10, 2021, with two editions being made available at the time.[22]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic79/100[23]
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. ClubB[1]
Consequence of SoundB[3]
DEAD PRESS!          [24]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[25]
Gigwise          [26]
Kerrang!3/5[27]
The Line of Best Fit7/10[28]
NME     [29]
Pitchfork6.8/10[30]

The album was met with a positive reception. According to the review aggregator Metacritic, Flowers for Vases / Descansos received "generally favorable reviews" based on a weighted average score of 79 out of 100 from 15 critic scores.[23] The New York Times praised the album, calling it "finely polished," further saying that "every vocal phrase, guitar tone, piano note and studio effect has been thought through by Williams and her engineer and producer, Daniel James."[31] Rolling Stone gave the album three and a half stars, describing it as "delicate" and stating that Williams has "codified what a top-to-bottom quarantine album can sound like," however also noting that "its commitment to confessional storytelling and stripped-down production the whole way through will make it appear one-noted against [Petals for Armor]."[9]

Accolades for Flowers for Vases / Descansos
Publication Accolade Rank
Blunt Half-Year Review: The 10 (and a Half) Best Albums of 2021 So Far
5
Chorus.fm The Best Albums of 2021 (So Far)
8
The Guardian The 50 Best Albums of 2021
39[32]
i-D 15 of the Best Albums of 2021 So Far —
Official Charts The Best Songs and Albums of 2021 So Far: Official Charts Staff Picks —
Rolling Stone The Best Albums of 2021 So Far —
Spin The 30 Best Albums of 2021 (So Far) —

Track listing

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All songs were written by Hayley Williams and produced by Daniel James.

No.TitleLength
1."First Thing to Go"2:59
2."My Limb"2:53
3."Asystole"3:05
4."Trigger"4:04
5."Over Those Hills"3:12
6."Good Grief"2:38
7."Wait On"3:10
8."KYRH"2:34
9."Inordinary"4:44
10."HYD"3:42
11."No Use I Just Do"2:09
12."Find Me Here"2:11
13."Descansos"1:59
14."Just a Lover"3:03
Total length:42:29

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart performance for Flowers for Vases / Descansos
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Scottish Albums (OCC)[33] 18
UK Albums (OCC)[34] 92
US Billboard 200[35] 189
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[36] 21
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[37] 33

References

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  1. ^ a b Miller, Shannon (February 8, 2021). "Hayley Williams' Flowers For Vases/Descansos dreamily wades between grief and acceptance". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  2. ^ Olivier, Bobby (February 11, 2021). "Hayley Williams' Flowers For Vases/Descansos Is Her Saddest, Quietest Music Yet". Spin. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Hayley Williams Lays It Bare on Intimate Sophomore Record FLOWERS for VASES / descansos: Review". Consequence of Sound. February 8, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  4. ^ Chan, Anna (August 6, 2020). "Paramore's Hayley Williams Cancels Solo Tour Amid Coronavirus Pandemic". Billboard Magazine. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d Shaffer, Claire (February 4, 2021). "Hayley Williams Teases New Album 'Flowers for Vases / Descansos'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  6. ^ Bowenbank, Starr (November 29, 2021). "Hayley Williams Hints at Paramore Comeback In 2022: 'See You Sometime Next Year?'". Archived from the original on June 20, 2024.
  7. ^ Snapes, Laura (March 12, 2020). "Paramore's Hayley Williams: 'A lot of my depression was misplaced anger'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Lowe, Zane (February 9, 2021). Hayley Williams: ‘Flowers for Vases / descansos’ and Writing About Childhood Memories (Video). Apple Music. Archived from the original on July 31, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ a b Shaffer, Claire (February 8, 2021). "Hayley Williams Delivers Delicate Confessionals on 'Flowers'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  10. ^ Jones, Damian (January 6, 2021). "Hayley Williams says she is recording her "own 'Folklore'"". NME. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  11. ^ Williams, Hayley [@yelyahwilliams] (February 14, 2021). "I really wanted to just call the album "descansos" but found a grocery list in my iPhone notes and the last item on the list was "flowers for vases". the story goes: I need to learn how to not hold on to dead things. so I threw out all the dead flowers, replaced them with living" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2024 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ a b Scott, Jason (February 7, 2022). "Hayley Williams Prunes Poisonous Roots On 'FLOWERS for VASES / descansos'". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
  13. ^ Phillips, Lior (May 8, 2020). "Hayley Williams on Making Music Apart from Paramore: 'There Should Never Be a Well Thought Out Plan'". Variety. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  14. ^ Williams, Hayley [@yelyahwilliams] (February 21, 2021). "I dream about water a lot; drowning and just generally pretty violent stuff (plz don't feel bad for me I'm fine). I dreamt about it just last night! I think the cover does a good job of serving you "DRAMA" but it's actually just my stupid quarantine hot tub lol" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2024 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ Williams, Hayley (February 6, 2021). "def most ridiculous quarantine purchase... the jacuzzi all photos for the album by Lindsey Byrnes, with cuzzi lighting assistance from Taylor York". Facebook. Archived from the original on September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  16. ^ James, Daniel [@xdanieljames] (February 6, 2021). "Happy release day to @yelyahwilliams and FLOWERS for VASES / descansos!". Archived from the original on January 4, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2024 – via Instagram.
  17. ^ Williams, Hayley [@yelyahwilliams] (February 14, 2021). "they are from VHS tapes from my first halloween... you can hear my great grandmother singing to me at the end of 'Good Grief'" (Tweet). Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2024 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Brooks, Clarissa (February 11, 2021). "Hayley Williams Sings Herself Back To Life". NPR. Archived from the original on May 23, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  19. ^ Hussey, Allison (December 18, 2020). "Hayley Williams Shares New Song "Find Me Here": Listen". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 23, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  20. ^ Skinner, Tom (January 29, 2021). "Listen to new song Hayley Williams "leaked" by hand-delivering to fan". NME. Archived from the original on February 9, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  21. ^ Prance, Sam (January 25, 2021). "Paramore's Hayley Williams teases new project Flowers for Vases". Capital UK. Archived from the original on May 26, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  22. ^ Ruskell, Nick (July 22, 2021). "Hayley Williams's FLOWERS for VASES is getting a vinyl release". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on September 21, 2024. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
  23. ^ a b "Flowers for Vases/descansos". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  24. ^ "ALBUM REVIEW: Hayley Williams - Flowers For Vases / Descansos". DEAD PRESS!. February 7, 2021. Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  25. ^ "Hayley Williams lets her softer side shine on Flowers for Vases / Descansos". Entertainment Weekly. February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  26. ^ "Album Review: Hayley Williams - FLOWERS for VASES/descansos". Gigwise. February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  27. ^ "Album review: Hayley Williams – FLOWERS for VASES / descansos". Kerrang!. February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  28. ^ "Hayley Williams' emotional purge continues into delicate, and often haunting, acoustic terrain". The Line of Best Fit. February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  29. ^ "Hayley Williams – 'Flowers for Vases / descansos' review: the pensive prequel to 'Petals For Armor'". NME. February 5, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  30. ^ Gordon, Arielle (February 11, 2021). "Hayley Williams: FLOWERS for VASES / descansos Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  31. ^ Pareles, Jon (February 5, 2021). "Hayley Williams, All Alone With Her Memories". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 30, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  32. ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Snapes, Laura (December 17, 2021). "The 50 best albums of 2021". theguardian.com. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  33. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 18, 2021.
  34. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 17, 2021.
  35. ^ "Hayley Williams Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  36. ^ "Hayley Williams Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  37. ^ "Hayley Williams Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
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