Paramore nearly imploded when original members Josh and Zac Farro left the band in 2010, airing their grievances in a bitter blog post. "It was emotionally exhausting," says singer Hayley Williams. "By the time we got around to the point where we were going to start writing, we just really wanted to enjoy making an album." The band recorded in L.A. with producer Justin Meldal-Johnson (Beck, Garbage). Adds guitarist Taylor York, "I don't think we knew that we were going to write super poppy songs or dance-y songs, but it just kind of happened."