Hayley Williams‘ rebellious streak gets deeper in the video for “Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party.” The standout from the collection of songs she released last week — which is, nonetheless, not considered an album — gets a grainy visual in which Williams strolls the streets of her native Nashville, subtly rebuking its shortcomings while still expressing hope for its future.
The video features a cameo from Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones, who is the second-youngest member of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Jones made headlines when he was expelled in April 2023 for violating decorum rules by leading a gun control protest on the House floor after the 2023 Covenant school shooting. He was later reinstated as an interim representative and won a special election that won back his seat full-time. He was re-elected in 2024.
His casting in the video certainly lines up with many of Williams’ other political statements. Her band, Paramore, was known for protesting what they viewed as unjust laws or stumping for what they see as needed ones. Even the first chorus of “Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party” takes shots at a local “racist country singer’s bar,” which some fans and publications have connected to recent comments she made to Stereogum in which she named “Morgan Wallen’s” as her least favorite country star’s bar. Whew.
You can watch the “Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party” video above.