The sultry sounds of Paramore have been met with a wide range of acclaim and shrugging bias since forming in 2004. Etching their name into many facets of rock and pop culture, they’ve managed to avoid burning out by keeping the mainstream at arm’s distance. Since their hit song “Decode” off 2008’s Twilight soundtrack, the band has found itself rebuilding after the loss of their drummer and guitarist in a public he-said-she-said scuffle. But rest assured, with their new song, “Renegade,” Paramore proves much hasn’t changed.

A swift drum roll starts the song off with rugged guitar tones in the intro. Soon the feverish down-picking subsides to subtle palm-muting in the verse. Vocalist Hayley Williams seems unaffected by the lapse from her last album as she sings with jeering confidence; her accented words do require a listener’s patience while the chorus takes the same aggressive shape as the intro. The explosion of melody and emotion is met with a smooth transition into the next verse, and thus the song travels through a rollercoaster of rhythms before climaxing at the bridge. Hayley’s yell seems out of place while she attempts forcefully push her vocal tenacity – a choice that might have compromised the song if not for an abrupt return of the chorus, little damage done as the song fades to the band’s final notes rung out.

Paramore seems to be unscarred by the line up changes. Their rhythmic emotion and clever melodies have remained intact although the final line up may be in limbo. It seems the creative heart and passion of Paramore still rests with the band. As part of a string of singles scheduled to release till the end of the year, “Renegade” starts the collection with a solid start.

★★★.5/★★★★★

*This review was composed by Jose Terrero