Album/EP

Paramore - This is Why (Album Review)

Walladmin

Heavy Metal Wordsmith

Feb 11, 2023

7 min read

Paramore - This Is Why
Released: February 10, 2023

Lineup

Hayley Williams // Vocals
Zac Farro // Drums and Various Percussion
Taylor York // Guitar

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Oh. My. God. I know Paramore have given us three singles previously, but every time I heard them, I was left wanting more and after what seems like the most painfully long wait for the new album to finally be released into the world, the day has come and in all honesty, I can’t stop listening.

There is a reason that this review took a little bit to put out into the world, and that’s because as such a fan, I needed a moment to have the initial moment of just being extremely excited, then I needed a moment to process it and let it all sink in. I wanted to do this review justice to not only any fan who is reading this, but everyone else who is reading it too, and I didn’t want to just speak my mind too soon when my mind was still in overdrive with excitement and joy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-i-yQNs9Fw

The second the record was released, I hit the repeat button on Spotify, knowing I’d be listening to it non stop for days. Now I have a lot to say, so I will be skipping those tracks which I have already covered when they were released as singles, which means the first song I will be talking about is 'Running Out Of Time' and let me tell you, when I say I felt this — I really mean it. It is by far one of the most relatable songs I have ever heard because it is purely just packed full of such raw, honest truths that almost every single person feels on a daily basis. That frustrating feeling of never having enough time, and lyrically I feel as though it really encapsulates that. It’s at this point that I can also start to pick up on the hint of the new direction that they’ve decided to take musically, and it hooked me beat but you can hear that there is a bit of a funk undertone, showing that this record won’t be sticking to their traditional rock sound that we’re all familiar with, and as someone who is a long time fan, I really appreciate that even after all this time, I feel I can still be surprised by the sounds they produce. In an instant, I was hooked.

Next up, is 'Big Man, Little Dignity' which is something I feel as though I never expected to hear on a Paramore album, but I really love that it is there. If anything it reminds me of the pathway that Hayley’s solo project was on, with a bit of a soft tune yet funky beat to support these powerful, grungy vocals that boast lyrics, full of anger towards someone. I won’t lie, this song did take me a little bit of time to warm up to, and I feel as if it may have been that the first few seconds of the beat just didn’t draw me in. It’s a bit of a strange keyboard introduction that sounds almost alien, then there’s a flute that joins in and it just didn’t work for me. But I will say, the more I listened to it, while it’s still not my favourite introduction to a song, the rest of the beat is incredible to dance to, and the lyrics and vocals are so powerful that it won me over after a few listens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z91DX87wWtg

'You First' follows on from this and this is probably what I would call the most familiar Paramore sound, it has the highs and lows of a rock tone that every fan knows and loves, but elevated. It’s evident that they’ve grown their rock sound to a new level. This was a track that I just really felt an instant love with. I found the lyrics to be powerful, claiming the fact that yes, everyone is a bad guy and you can never tell who it may or may not be, and sometimes, yes, being petty and wanting karma or revenge is a normal emotional response when you’ve been so badly hurt by someone. I can definitely relate to this track as well, as in my own time, I have definitely been so hurt by someone that I wished karma would bite them in the ass before anyone else.

Up next is another rock heavy track called 'Figure 8'. It’s another which I would say has those highs and lows, with the chorus being a strong, powerful moment that hits just right. This is a song that I would say has some of my favourite lyrics, being the first line of the chorus which says “all for your sake, I became the very thing that I hate, I lost my way” and I just think it’s a scenario that happens all too often, no matter the situation — people lose themselves to be what someone else wants, whether they care to admit it or not. It also explores the topic of being used by someone and the fact that kindness can be seen as weakness and it’s almost a never ending cycle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBIE63c6fjI

Next up we have 'Liar', and this is just a gorgeous, slow, almost acoustic track that is absolutely written about love. You’d assume the words that Liar and Love don’t belong in the same sentence, but in this case? It absolutely does. For my fellow Paramore fans, this song needs little explanation, it basically spells itself out, but for those who won’t know what I mean — it has only recently been confirmed that Hayley and Taylor are in a relationship after many years of fans speculating and also many years of denial; so this song in my opinion is almost an open love letter that’s been put out into the world. “Oh my love, I lied to you, but I never needed to. Oh my love, I lied to you, but you always knew the truth.” If I’m honest, I think this is one of the most beautiful songs as it’s so heartfelt, raw, and packed full of emotion.

'Crave' is the second to last track on the record and honestly it’s probably one of my favourites. It is such an extremely catchy song and it’s also got such an interesting beat to it. It’s not quite slow and gentle, but it’s also not upbeat and rocky either — I’d say it’s a perfect blend of the two. This is a track that is easy to connect with emotionally, craving the feeling of the joyous moments in life and never wanting to let them go, when in the past you’ve been so miserable but pushed through it all to be where you are now. I also feel as though we have another song where I feel as though Hayley just belts it out, not quite 'All I Wanted' fashion, but as close to it as we will get these days and I feel like that’s something so special, since we’ve not heard a song with that kind of vocal intensity in a while.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OM7Hoe_cv8

Speaking of vocal intensity, this brings us to our final track of the record 'Thick Skull'. It starts out as a slow ballad which grows, building up to a powerful moment in the middle of the song before slowing back down to a ballad to finish off with. This song isn’t one that is in my top three of the record, because I don’t dislike it at all, but it’s not one that I felt as if I connected with it and understood exactly what was being spoken about. I think that I’m still trying to warm to this song completely at this minute, but while it is the final track it was the first they ever wrote for this album, and it makes me wonder why they decided to have it as the closing track instead of earlier on.

All in all, I really do genuinely love This is Why as a whole. I really do feel like this is a top contender for being one of Paramore’s top records. It has the powerful moments and the melodic soft moments at just the right times and I feel as though it helps to support the lyrics. Much like a movie which has the right build to make a certain scene or emotion hit that much harder — that’s the feeling I get with both Zac Farrow and Taylor York killing it on the instrumental side of things, and Hayley telling the stories. This record needed to happen, from a fan perspective and even as a band. This is the album that I listen to and think to myself — This is it, they did it. They stopped caring what people wanted from them. They’re making this music for themselves and their own happiness.

I can hear the growth, the new musical influences that they’ve incorporated with some being funk, soul, blues, rock, pop. If you throw it all in a blender and jazz it up a little (pun intended), that’s what this album sounds like.