This Is Why is Paramore’s Best Album Yet

Sage Suddleson Entertainment Editor

Paramore is a band with a storied history and many ups and downs. The current core lineup consists of frontwoman and main lyricist Hayley Williams, guitarist and composer Taylor York, and drummer Zac Farro. Fresh off a six year hiatus since their 2017 album After Laughter and the following album cycle, fans were excited to receive cryptic messages from the band starting in September of 2022.

All of that cryptic messaging came to fruition in February of 2023 when the band’s sixth studio album This Is Why , finally came out. The album draws on the band members’ past struggles but also remains topical, addressing issues like toxic masculinity, the vicious nature of the news cycle, and the feeling of running out of time.

The album kicks off with a groovy bass line in the title track and first single “This Is Why” as Williams laments about the pressure of the public eye and the nature of celebrity. The second track and second single, “The News,” is a completely different vibe from the first, with hard hitting vocals, frantic and grungy instrumentation, and a decidedly more direct and scathing critique of the world from Williams than the general angst in the first single. The album’s third song (but fourth single), “Running Out of Time”, speaks to the all-too-common feeling of life passing you by. In this song, Williams uses tongue-in-cheek lyrics to poke fun at her own problems with time management.

The fourth song (and third single) “ C’est Comme Ça ” -translated from French as “It Is What It Is” - signals a departure from Paramore’s usual as Williams speak-sings over the verses about her need for chaos in her life despite its negative effects on her. York and Farro’s instrumentation shine throughout the track, with the tight drumming and guitar supporting the unique vocal style. “Big Man, Little Dignity”, the fifth song on the album, is a withering commentary on toxic masculinity and the way men aren’t held accountable for their actions even when they’ve done something wrong. The song also features instruments such as a flute, contrasting the anger in the song with the ethereal notes of the instrument and harmonizing chorus.“You First” is a fast paced tune about the choice between good and evil, using the metaphor of feeding a wild animal scraps and the animal returning for more to represent giving into the temptation of anger. The next song, “Figure 8”, is an exploration of a toxic relationship, which Williams likens to being stuck in an infinite loop. She recalls how the relationship made her embody everything she used to hate.

The toxicity of the aforementioned relationship is sharply contrasted in the next song, “Liar”, in which Williams details her denial about falling in love with fellow band member Taylor York. In an interview with Zane Lowe about the album, Williams said, “When something has ease to it and when something feels healthy and again, like, respectful, it must be wrong. And I fought that feeling and said to myself that ‘that’s just a convenient thing, you’re just trying to go to where maybe your ego likes it’, I just made up anything that I could.” The song also contains a possible reference to the song “Crystal Clear” from Williams’ 2020 solo album Petals For Armor , a song also rumored to be about her process of falling in love with York. The second to last song on the album, “Crave”, is a song about nostalgia where Williams remembers the glory days and wishes to relive them with a chorus featuring an addictive and memorable melody. The track is a bit of a contradiction to the song “Caught in the Middle” from After Laughter which sees Williams scorning nostalgia and the so-called “glory days”.

The closing track, “Thick Skull”, feels like a culmination of the entire album, with large, sweeping instrumentals, introspective lyrics and stunning vocal talent from Williams as she regrets her attraction to broken people and how relationships with such people have and continue to negatively affect her.

This Is Why offers a look into the thoughts of Williams, explores her life and the history of the band, and highlights the talents of the three core members as well as those who provide the other instruments heard on the record.