Paramore were still teenagers when they made All We Know Is Falling, and the record sounds like it. The band’s debut is a loud, heavy, dark rock record built around the Farro brothers’ guitars and Hayley Williams’ high, strained voice, and it mostly works because the band knows exactly what kind of record it wants to be.
Opening With Pressure
The record opens with “All We Know,” a track that sets the tone: guitar-heavy, forceful, and built for a room full of screaming kids. “Pressure” follows and earns its title — it’s the heaviest song on the record, all chugging rhythm and a chorus that feels like it’s about to break through the surface.
“Emergency” is the best track on the record. It builds slowly, letting the tension rise before it finally explodes into a chorus that’s bigger than anything else here. It’s the moment the record finds its footing, and it’s the one song that fully justifies the whole project.
“Brighter” is a quieter shift, a mid-tempo ballad that shows a softer side. It’s not bad, but it’s also not essential — it’s a pause between the hits, not a hit itself.
Here We Go Again Through Whoa
“Here We Go Again” picks the pace back up, and it’s one of the strongest tracks on the record. The riff is immediate, the chorus is sticky, and it’s easy to see why critics singled it out. “Never Let This Go” follows and does something similar — it’s another big, driving track that shows the band’s instincts for melody.
“Whoa” is the weakest link in the middle stretch. It’s a filler track, a song that exists to fill space without adding much. It’s not offensive, but it’s forgettable, and it’s the kind of track that critics pointed to as evidence of the record’s uneven pacing.
“It was alright, but it just existed as an adept collection of straightforward rockers without much differentiation.”
Conspiracy, Franklin, My Heart
“Conspiracy” is better than “Whoa” but still not essential. It’s a solid track with a decent riff, but it doesn’t leave much of an impression after the record ends.
“Franklin” is a step up. It’s a bit more melodic, a bit more tuneful, and it shows the band working toward the sound they’d find later on. It’s not a standout, but it’s a solid addition to the back half of the record.
“My Heart” closes the album on a strong note. It’s a slower, more reflective track, and it gives the record a fitting end — a quieter, more restrained finish after all the force of the earlier songs.
What Critics Heard
Critics called the record a competent, heavy, dark debut with uneven pacing and weaker middle tracks. They praised the Farro brothers’ energy and noted hints of the hooks that would define Riot!. The critical consensus is that this is a record that knows exactly what it wants to be, even when it doesn’t quite get there.
The weaker tracks all falter because of a similar problem — they simply place too much on Hayley voice without bothering to make the music sound particularly interesting. That’s a fair complaint, and it explains why the middle stretch drags.
The Verdict
All We Know Is Falling is a solid debut that points toward something bigger. The record’s highs are very high — “Emergency,” “Here We Go Again,” “Never Let This Go,” “Pressure,” and “My Heart” are all strong songs — but its lows are low enough to keep it from greatness. The uneven pacing and the filler tracks keep the record from being essential, but the best moments are truly excellent.
This is a band that knew exactly what it wanted to sound like, even if it didn’t always execute perfectly. The hooks that would define Riot! are already present in embryo form, and the Farro brothers’ energy is undeniable throughout. It’s a record worth hearing, even if it’s not a record worth revisiting endlessly.
6.9 out of 10.
Key Facts Box
- Artist: Paramore
- Album: All We Know Is Falling
- Year: 2005
- Tracks: 10
- Total runtime: 35 minutes
- Metacritic: 69/100
- AllMusic: 70/5
- All We Know3:13
- Pressure3:05
- Emergency4:00
- Brighter3:43
- Here We Go Again3:46
- Never Let This Go3:40
- Whoa3:21
- Conspiracy3:42
- Franklin3:18
- My Heart3:59
