A flash flood of primary colours, lightning bolts and cartoon lettering, the video for ‘Hard Times’ is a dreamy spectacle. The first release from Paramore since 2013 has seen them head in an entirely new, but not totally unexpected direction.

We’ve seen hints of an experimental pop aesthetic with the candy-coated ‘Still Into You’ and gospel-infused ‘Ain’t It Fun’. Now throwing caution to the wind, the previous pop punkers have morphed into a cool, ‘80s-inspired pop group and half of us want to be Hayley Williams all over again.

The positivity of the upbeat melody contrasts with the lyrics, “Hard times gonna make you wonder why you even try / Hard times gonna take you down and laugh when you cry”. That said, the song seems to wave goodbye to the backlash of the self-titled album and the surrounding dramas.

With a tour in some of the UK’s most majestic venues on the cards for this summer and the newly announced album ‘After Laughter’ on the way, Paramore are set to be one of the most exciting bands of 2017. That’s no mean feat after 13 years of existence and more line-up changes than the most and if this new track is anything to go by, we can’t wait to see what’s in store.

All together now: We. Are. PARAMORE.